Roast Duck with Cherry Sauce

[Recipes Index] [World of Chefs]

Ingredients:

For the duck:

• 1 duck
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and additional for brushing
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup fresh ripe black cherries, pitted and pureed, and additional for garnish

For the Sauce:

• 1 pound fresh ripe black cherries, cleaned and pitted
• 1 whole, peeled garlic clove
• 2/3 cup port wine
• 1 and 3/4 cups homemade beef stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon red currant jelly
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Rinse duck with cold water and pat dry. Prick the skin all over the duck with a fork. In a bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, pineapple juice and pureed cherries. Blend thoroughly with a whisk. Coat the duck skin with this marinade and set aside. Prepare the grill.

To prepare the sauce, combine the cherries, garlic, wine and beef stock in a saucepan. Simmer the ingredients until the cherries are soft. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and set aside. Then remove and discard the garlic clove. In a separate cup, combine the water and the cornstarch. Temporarily remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in this cornstarch mixture, which is a sauce-thickening agent. Put the pan back on the heat and stir continuously. Then increase the heat so that the mixture boils, still stirring continuously until the sauce thickens. Add the butter and the jelly, and blend well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cherries that had been previously set aside.

Place a pan under the grill rack to catch the duck juices. This will mean pushing the coals to the side. Baste the duck again with the pineapple/cherry marinade. Attach the duck to a spit. As an alternative to the use of a spit and a catch-pan , place the duck on a wire rack set in a pan. Cook uncovered over medium hot coals for approximately 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours or until done and the juices run clear. You can shorten the cooking time if you cover the duck for a half hour while cooking. Baste frequently while the duck is uncovered. After the duck is cooked, pour the juices of the pan into the hot sauce. Garnish the serving plates with fresh cherries, carve the duck and serve.

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