Pan Roasted Duck with Blueberry Sauce

Yes, I agree these ingredients sounds slightly out of the norm. But that is ok, trust me duck needs the sweet tartness of berries to bring out the sweetness of the meat. Plus, this is very easy to make and delicious. The work to reward ratio is highly favored on the cook's side.


You can make the blueberry sauce a few days in advance, but this is what I did:

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 of a sliced red onion
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
salt and peper to taste

What you do:

1. Throw everything in a pot, let simmer over medium heat. When bubbling turn to low and stir once in a while. Cook until your desired thickness, I let it go for about 20 minutes. But only because that is how long it took for me to get the rest of my dinner together.
2. Serve along side the duck or on tacos, it is very tasty. It keeps in the fridge for about a week.



For the duck this is will only take 15 minutes maximum.

What you need:

1duck breast (this feeds two people well, about 1 pound)
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet


What you do:
1. Crank your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Warm a ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
3. Using a sharp knife make slits (score) the fat of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern. This will help the fat render off and let the meat cook more evenly.
4. Season both sides of the duck with salt and pepper.
5. Lay fat side down in the skillet for about 5 minutes, but don't let it blacken. If it does go to far, that is ok you can just take the fat off before you serve it.
6. Flip it over for about a minute just to sear the other side.
7. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes until the duck is medium, or about 160 degrees

I served this with green beans, because that is what I had in the fridge but, you can certainly serve this over a wilted spinach salad, sauteed swiss chard, or anything else you like. Many people serve duck and potatoes together, I think this is mostly because only the French knew how to make duck taste good for many years, and the French love potatoes. But, feel free to buck the norm. I saw a duck confit leg deep fried with a pecans over spinach salad. God bless you Emeril.

As always, much love, many blessings, and happy cooking... one day I am going duck hunting...