Duck 2 Ways with Port Cherry Sauce

With a nod to Julia Child's Art of French Cooking, Duck 2 Ways with Port Cherry Sauce combines duck confit with a tender breast and a delicious sauce.

The Making of Duck 2 Ways with Port Cherry Sauce

I had the honor of meeting Julia Child at a reception/dinner put on by PBS back in 1999. They were honoring her along with Jacques Pepin for their show, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, and the release of their companion book. A grand lady, full of life and smiles. I watched in awe as these two icons of cooking were on stage, in a living room setting, glasses of wine in hand, exchanging an easy banter of “pepper” preferences (Julia preferring white pepper, and Jacques black) and other cooking techniques.

As guests of the wine sponsor, Kendall-Jackson, we were seated in a cat’s bird seat, one table from Julia herself. Dinner was being served, it is Duck, specifically, duck breasts, more specifically, HUGE duck breasts. They were not artfully cut into slices and displayed, they simply were, a breast on a plate with something else that I can’t even remember because the breasts were so HUGE!

I watched with interest as the plate was placed in front of Julia, her eyes got very large as she stared down at the plate and said: “Oh my, that’s a very impressive breast”. I found out later from a kitchen worker, that the catering manager was going along the line looking at all the breasts and removing those he found to be too small; he wanted BIG breasts.

Well, sometimes big isn’t always better.

After dinner I could not pass the opportunity to speak to Mrs. Child; to tell her of her influence on me, and how she helped me get over any fear I might have had to try something new with cooking.

She greeted me warmly as I sat in an empty chair next to her. As I spoke with her, she was so gracious, like it was nothing at all or the least she could do, but was happy to hear that she had influenced me. Then, I couldn’t help it…”I’m sure you saw the Saturday Night Live bit featuring you” I inquired. ”Oh my yes,” she said, “I found it to be hilarious, Mr. Ackroyd did a fantastic job of being me, don’t you think?” That was Julia, making sure she brought me into the conversation.

Yes, Mrs. Child, I thought he did you fine. But you will always be, one in a million.

The Duck Confit that isn't Duck Confit but is...

This recipe is modified from a recipe on Epicurious.com. The 2 way, of this Duck 2 Ways with Port Cherry Sauce, is my own invention of a confit, without really doing a confit. A confit is where you cook something in oil or rendered fat and then stored in the fat. It is one of the oldest ways to preserve meats. Here, I just let the duck legs and thighs cook off its own fat, while it cooks in it. This creates a nice crispy leg and thigh, which contrasts nicely with the rare tender breast meat.

The Tender Breast

This recipe separates the leg/thigh combo from the breast, which is cut off the bone. Of course, if you didn't buy a whole duck to take apart, you could buy the leg//thigh combo AND a package of breasts. Doing the confit of the leg/thigh is pretty straightforward, preparing the breast needs a bit more thought.

When this recipe is done and ready to plate, you want the breast to have crispy skin with a rare to medium-rare interior. For the best taste and texture, you do not want to overcook the breast. Because there is a layer of fat under the skin of the breast if you don't score it, as the fat renders out, the skin will shrink and the breast meat will be exposed and subject to overcooking. So taking a sharp knife, score the skin, only through the skin and fat, not into the meat. This will also allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. 

When you cook the breast, make certain the pan is nice and hot before starting the sear, skin side down. You should be rewarded with nice crisp breast skin.

Duck Stock

Since I cut my own duck, I have the carcass to make duck stock which I used instead of the beef stock.

Duck stock is fairly easy to make, just like chicken or turkey stock, start with the bones in as small of pieces as you can. Cover them with cold water, add ½ an onion cut into wedges, a carrot cut into pieces and a stalk of celery also cut into pieces. Add a bay leaf, the sprig of thyme, some peppercorns, and salt, then simmer, slowly over fairly low heat for about an hour or so. You will be rewarded with rich and delicious duck stock. 

But if you don't have that option, the beef stock works just fine.

You can buy your own duck and cut them yourself…just follow the simple instructions in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking or Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques. Or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Excellent with some Wild Rice and Green Beans with Almonds.

Serve with a Pinot Noir, either a fruit-forward one or a more Burgundian style. They will both play nicely with the richness of the duck and the sweetness of the sauce.

Julia would say Bon Appetite.

LindySez: Cheers!

Please note, the times indicated do not include the marinade time.