By First Valentine’s Day as parents. Aunt Linda drove up from Sapulpa Sunday afternoon and took Brayden to her place in Sapulpa for the night — the first overnight Brayden has spent away from me since he was born. The plan is: he is twenty weeks old, he is on a stable nighttime feeding schedule, Aunt Linda has prepared three bottles of pumped milk for the eight-PM, four-AM, and seven-AM feedings, and Dustin and I will have the apartment to ourselves from four PM Sunday to noon Monday.
The dinner is duck breast with brandy bing cherry sauce. Pan-seared duck breast (scored skin-side fat, started in a cold pan to render the fat, finished skin-side-down in the hot rendered fat until the breast is medium-rare and the skin is crisp). The pan sauce is brandy, frozen bing cherries (deglazed in the pan after the duck rests), butter, a splash of red wine vinegar at the end for brightness. The sauce is rich and the bing cherries are sweet-tart and the duck is the only meat in the apartment’s cooking history that has felt occasion-grade.
Dustin had bought the duck breasts at the specialty butcher in midtown Friday on his way home from the shop — two breasts, $24, the splurge of the month allocated against the Wednesday-night budget conversation about the Valentine’s plan. The bing cherries were in our freezer from the summer of 2021 when Mama had bought a flat at the farmers’ market in Sapulpa and frozen the half I had brought home with me to Tulsa.
Sunday evening I cooked. Dustin opened a bottle of red wine. Aunt Linda texted at seven that Brayden had taken the eight-PM bottle on time (she had used a slightly earlier feed because he had been ready) and was asleep. The apartment was small and quiet in a way it has not been small and quiet in twenty weeks. We ate at the kitchen table with the candle Dustin had picked up at the gas station on his way home Saturday. The duck was the best thing I have cooked this year.
Duck with Brandy Bing Cherry Sauce
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck (about 4–5 lbs), giblets removed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 small orange, halved
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- For the Brandy Bing Cherry Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1/3 cup brandy
- 1 cup Bing cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or duck stock
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the duck. Preheat oven to 375°F. Pat the duck completely dry with paper towels inside and out. Using a sharp fork or skewer, prick the skin all over (especially the thighs and breast) without piercing the meat—this helps render the fat.
- Season. Mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. Rub the seasoning all over the outside of the duck and inside the cavity. Stuff the cavity loosely with the orange halves and rosemary sprigs.
- Roast. Place the duck breast-side up on a rack set inside a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, then carefully drain off excess fat from the pan (reserve it if you like—duck fat is liquid gold). Return the duck to the oven and roast an additional 35–45 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
- Rest the duck. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- Make the cherry sauce. While the duck rests, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until softened. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the brandy. Return to heat and simmer for 1 minute, letting the alcohol cook off slightly.
- Build the sauce. Add the Bing cherries, stock, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve. Carve the duck and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the warm brandy Bing cherry sauce over the top or serve it alongside in a small pitcher.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 610 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 41g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg