Barbary Duck Breast with fresh Cherry Sauce
Serves 2
For the duck breasts:
2 barbary duck breast fillets
2 tbsps icing sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
Pre heat the oven to 180c and have a small roasting dish to hand.
Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife in a criss cross pattern. Mix the
icing sugar with the mixed spice and rub on to skin of the duck breasts. Heat a griddle
pan or heavy frying pan and when it is very hot put the duck breasts in, skin side down
and allow them to crisp up. A lot of the fat will render out at this stage. Keep an eye
on them because the sugar will burn easily. They will take 3-4 minutes, depending on the
size of the breasts. When the skin is nice and brown, remove the duck breasts from the
pan and place them skin side up in the roasting dish and pop them into the oven for about
15-20 minutes. I like to serve the duck a little pink so that it retains good flavour
and is moist. When you are happy that the duck is cooked to how you like it, take it out
of the oven and cover with tin foil and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before
carving into slices and serving with the sauce on the side.
I love this dish served on a bed of sautéed spinach.
Fresh Cherry Sauce:
About 20 fresh cherries, stoned and sliced
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of runny honey.
Gently soften the cherries in the water and when they are cooked add the balsamic vinegar
and honey and cook for a further 2 mins. Then push the sauce through a sieve making sure
to get all the flavour from the fruit. Add a little more water if the sauce is too
thick.