Recipe: Grilled Duck Breasts with Michigan Cherry Sauce

For me, duck and cherries are a marvelous pair, and I particularly enjoy grilling duck breasts in the summer. I adore the rich, dark meat of a grilled duck breast, especially when served medium rare and paired with fruity sauces.

Yield: 2-4 servings
Time: 40 minutes
Cost: apx. $20

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, lightly toasted then crushed*
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cherry or pomegranate juice
• 1 cup pitted ripe cherries, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest, plus extra for garnish
• 2 (6-8 ounce) duck breast halves, skin attached

*I crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or mallet.

Directions

1. In a medium-sized sauté pan, heat butter over low heat. Add shallot, 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seed and minced pepper; sauté 3-4 minutes or until shallot is translucent and mixture is fragrant. ?
2. Whisk cherry or pomegranate juice, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon brown sugar together. Add juice mixture to sauté pan and cook, stirring, until just beginning to thicken.? Add additional brown sugar to taste, if desired.
3. Add cherries, orange zest to pan and simmer, occasionally stirring, until cherries have softened and sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes.?
4. Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat.
5. With a very sharp knife, score duck breast skin in a criss-cross pattern. Rub remaining coriander over scored duck skin. Season both sides of duck breast with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
6. Grill duck, skin side down, 6-10 minutes or until skin in golden brown and crispy. Do not leave duck unattended as fat will likely cause flare-ups. When flare-ups occur, transfer duck to another side of the grill. Turn duck over, flesh side down, and continue grilling 1-2 minutes for medium rare (155?). Cooking times vary: The thickness of the duck breast and heat of the fire will determine cooking time.
7. Let duck rest 5-10 minutes. Spoon a little sauce onto 2 plates. Thinly slice the duck breast and fan out over the sauce. Drizzle with additional sauce, garnish with orange zest, if desired, and serve.

This recipe was written by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on July 8, 2010.