Dining Tip: Duck Breast with Blueberry Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Ariane Daguin, the owner of D’Artagnan

For the duck:
• Fresh duck magret (half breast) (one half breast per person)*
• Kosher salt or Fleur de Sel and black pepper to taste
• Piment d’Espelette, to taste (optional)

For the blueberry sauce:
• Bottle of red wine, preferably Merlot
• 4 ounces veal demi-glace*
• 1 pint blueberries
• Balsamic vinegar and sugar to taste (if necessary to adjust balance)

For the vegetables:
• Potatoes (peeled and sliced about 1/4” thick)
• Parsley (8-10 sprigs, chopped)
• Garlic (a couple cloves, minced)
• Duck fat (reserved from cooking breasts)*

1. With a knife, score the skin of the breast in a criss-cross pattern, making the squares as small as possible and taking care not to cut into the meat.

2. Season the breast on both sides with salt and pepper and Piment d’Espelette, if using.

3. Place scored duck breasts in a cold skillet with the skin side down. Turn heat on to medium- or medium-low. Cook gently for 8 minutes, rendering the fat. (Meanwhile, start cooking the sauce now. See step 6.) Drain off most of the fat before it browns, reserving fat in the frying pan you'll use for the potatoes.

4. Cook on medium-high for 4 minutes, or until the skin side is dark and crispy. Then flip the breasts over and cook skin side up on medium heat for 8 minutes.

5. Cover the duck with foil to keep warm, and set aside.

6. As the duck is cooking, start the blueberry sauce by pouring the chef a glass of wine. Then put two glasses of wine in a saucepan and reduce by half.

7. Add the demi-glace and blueberries, reserving a small handful to add at the end. Reduce the sauce by half again. (Meanwhile, start cooking the potatoes now. See step 9.)

8. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and then use an immersion blender to puree the sauce (or transfer to a blender or food processor). Taste to check the acid/sweet balance. Add some sugar if the sauce seems too acid; add balsamic vinegar if the sauce seems too sweet. Finally, stir in the reserved handful of berries and keep the sauce hot.

9. As the berries are warming, turn up the heat on the duck fat and, when it is hot, add the potato slices. Make sure the pan is not overloaded; the slices should fit loosely. About 30 seconds before the potatoes are finished, add the parsley and garlic mixture. The potatoes are best served as soon as they are done.

10. Cut duck into 1/4-inch slices. Lay slices on warm plates in a fan. Add potatoes.

11. Spoon the berry sauce over the duck, and garnish with parsley.

Variations:

1. Herbs: At step 8, add your favorite fresh herbs, finely chopped.

2. Peppercorns: At step 8, add a few tablespoons of your favorite peppercorns.

BONUS VIDEOS: How can you improve your pairings? Learn to cook with wine in mind from Ariane Daguin, the owner of D’Artagnan, in our Cooking 4 Wine videos as she prepares a crisp duck breast and adjusts the savory blueberry sauce.