Welcome to the month of Prairial! On the 5th day of this month, Jacobins celebrated the duck. We shall celebrate with a decadent summer dish of roast duck with fresh cherries. I very much enjoyed this recipe, which is from the New York Times – spicy and sweet, and very satisfying. It calls for using 2 Muscovy duck breasts, but the cheapest I found were $72 for two breasts. While searching at Whole Foods, I found 4 non-Muscovy breasts for $13 and went with those. Turns out, Muscovy ducks are native to Central and South America and look kind of crazy. They are supposed to have a taste more similar to roast beef and are very tender.

Roast Duck with Cherries 

Rub for the Duck 

2 duck breasts

salt

1 tsp peppercorns

1/2 tsp ground allspice

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp fennel

For the sauce

1/4 raw sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup red wine (I used pinot noir)

1 cup chicken broth

1 tbs grated ginger

pinch of cayenne

salt

2 tbs butter

1/2 fresh cherries, pitted and halved

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tbs brandy

First, score the fatty side of the breast with a light crosshatch pattern. Salt both sides of the meat. Then, grind the peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves and fennel for the rub. Massage the rub on to both sides of the breasts and then refrigerate for several hours.

For the sauce, combine the raw sugar and red wine vinegar in a saucepan and simmer at medium-high for two minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the wine and broth and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add teh ginger, cayenne and 1/2 tsp of salt.

To cook the duck, heat a wide pan over medium heat. When hot, add the duck, skin side down. Cook for about seven minutes, until the skin is crispy making sure that the skin does not get too dark. Turn the meat over and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and let the meat rest for about 10 minutes.

To complete the sauce, in a separate pan add the butter, cherries and granulated sugar. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Add the brandy, cook one more minute, then add this to the previously made sauce and heat through.

Slice the breasts on a platter and top with the sauce and cherries. Enjoy!