Every time I make duck breast I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It is SUCH an easy dish to pull! Briefly browned on a pan and then roasted in the oven, the meat comes out tender, juicy and naturally flavourful. I often pair it with fruits or berries to balance the gamey aspects. In this Duck Breast with Berry Sauce recipe, I use a combination of cranberry juice and fresh cherries to make a quick sweet and tart sauce that’s perfect for savory duck meat.
The Flavour Affair:
Duck Breast + Cherries + Cranberry Juice + Vinegar + Cloves + Thyme + Sugar + Salt
Optional: nutmeg, lemon juice, sumac
I like this combination because the sauce is made with only a handful of ingredients yet it yields a very rounded flavour. Sweet and sour notes from the cherries are complemented by bittersweet cranberry juice, and from there we add more layers with vinegar, cloves, thyme and salt.
Duck Breasts: you can get either fresh or frozen. If using frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Cherries: fresh or frozen, pitted. They add such nice texture to the bite – plump and juicy, and have a mellow, sweet and sour taste.
Cranberry Juice: a great way to bring in tart, bittersweet flavour of cranberries without having to add actual berries to the sauce. To me, their sharpness can be quite overpowering.
Vinegar: a splash of balsamic vinegar makes the flavours more robust. I tried making this sauce both with and without vinegar and I found the version without to be a little plain.
Cloves: just a pinch of ground spice. Cloves’ warm pungency adds depth to the sauce. You can also pop in half a tea spoon of nutmeg powder to add more of that woody warmth without increasing the spiciness.
Thyme: thyme is awesome with fruit and berries, balancing their sweetness with its savory, earthy, slightly bitter aroma and taste. Simply add a couple of sprigs to the pan with the cherries, let the flavours impart during cooking and discard once the sauce is ready.
Sugar: a little sugar helps to draw out the juices of the cherries.
Finally, a little sprinkle of salt helps balance the overall flavour.
We will also need cornstarch – not for the taste, but to achieve a thicker consistency of the sauce.
Preparation Tips for Duck Breast with Berry Sauce:
The most important tip when cooking duck breast is: have a splatter guard at hand! Even though we don’t need oil to brown the duck, the fat starts shooting all around once in contact with hot pan surface. To prevent burns and mess, get a basic splatter shield and keep nearby.
- Make a few cuts on the duck’s skin before the browning. Make sure the cuts are not too deep so that the knife doesn’t touch the flesh. Scoring helps render the fat and crisp the skin.
- Brown the duck skin side down first until it turns light brown, then turn and sear on the meat side for just a minute or two.
- Transfer the duck onto a lined baking tray skin side up. The fat will be running down, infusing the meat with its flavours, and the skin will become crispy. At this point you can also brush it with a little sauce using a silicone brush.
- Duck breast should be slightly pinkish inside. To achieve that, roast in the oven at 190C for 12-15 minutes. Exact timings depend on the oven and the size of the breasts. After about 12 minutes in the oven, take one of them out and make a deep cut in the middle. If it is still bleeding, continue roasting for another 3-4 minutes. If it has reached pale pink color, remove from the oven and leave to rest for a minute before serving.
To serve, cut each breast into 0.5-0.7cm slices, arrange on a plate and pour the sauce over.
Preparation Tips for the Berry Sauce:
- If using fresh cherries, cut them in half and pit. Otherwise, thaw 150g frozen cherries by placing them under running water for 3-5 minutes.
- Use cornstarch if you want your sauce to be thicker. Stir a teaspoon of cornstarch into 330ml cranberry juice and mix well to combine.
- Place cherries into a small sauce pan with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp of water and 2 sprigs of thyme and cloves. The cherries will produce water, keep stirring everything together for the sugar to dissolve. Then add the cranberry juice mixed with cornstarch:
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You will see some froth forming on the surface – just push the cherries outwards and remove the froth with a spoon:
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- Hit the pan with the vinegar, add a sprinkle of rock salt, reduce the heat and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens. If it is suddenly getting too thick, add more cranberry juice or water.
- Discard thyme sprigs and take a taste. In case the sauce seems to be too much on a sweeter side, add two tea spoons of lemon juice. If you have ground sumac, you can also stir in 1/3 of a tea spoon.
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It is possible to make the sauce in advance and refrigerate for a few days. Warm up before use and stir well for the flavours to blend back together.
Serving Suggestions for Duck Breast with Berry Sauce:
Red cabbage or any kind of potatoes will be great here! But I also have a cool trick to make a perfectly complementing salad. Reserve a table spoon of the sauce and mix with a table spoon of olive oil and a table spoon of red vinegar. Use the mixture to marinate thinly sliced red onions. When ready to serve the meal, toss the onions and their dressing with greens, add cherry tomatoes and fresh cherries and gently stir to combine. Serve seasoned with a little salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper mill.
This recipe is very easily adaptable – you can play with flavours by using different sauces, spices and marinades. You can also opt to slice the duck breast, add to the bowl with onions, greens, tomatoes and cherries and serve it as a salad. For more inspiration, try out this Five Spice Duck Breast with Orange and Mango recipe which uses a similar technique but has a completely different flavour profile!
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Duck Breast with Berry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 small or medium sauce pan
- 1 large pan
- 1 over tray
Ingredients
For the duck:
- 2 large duck breasts
- 4 garlic cloves bruised (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the sauce:
- 150 g pitted sweet cherries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg optional
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 tsp rock salt
- 330 ml cranberry juice
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 lemon juice of (to taste)
- 1/3 tsp ground sumac optional
For the onions/dressing:
- 1 tbsp berry sauce
- 1 tbsp red vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- Stir 1 tsp of cornstarch into 330ml cranberry juice and mix well to combine.
- Add pitted cherries into a small hot sauce pan, add sugar, ground spices, 1 tbsp water and thyme sprigs. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Pour in the cranberry juice and stir well.
- Add the vinegar and salt, lower the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Taste and adjust for acidity by adding lemon juice.
- If you want the sauce to be more tart, stir 1/3 tsp of ground sumac.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of cranberry juice or water.
To make the duck:
- Preheat the oven to 190C.
- Make cuts in the duck’s skin and rub with salt and pepper.
- Sear the breasts skin side down (no oil needed). Turn around, add garlic cloves and fry for another minute or two.
- Transfer to an oven tray skin side up and roast for 12-15 minutes for medium (it should be slightly pink inside).
- Allow to rest for a few minutes, then slice, arrange on a plate and pour the sauce over.
For the salad dressing:
- Mix together 1 tbsp each sauce, olive oil and red vinegar. Use the mixture to marinate the onions, then pour over a salad bowl with mixed greens, cherries and cherry tomatoes.
Notes
- If you want a lighter meal, you can mix duck slices with the salad and toss with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing (sauce, olive oil and red vinegar in equal parts).
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