So Very Cherry

Seared duck with cherry salsa

Catherine J. Williams
Personal chef /Pastry chef, Grandale Farm restaurant

Local toque Catherine Williams enjoys bringing balance to nature’s bounty. “This dish is a perfect example how to bring fruit into a savory dish—satisfying the yin and yang of one’s palate,” she said, adding, “You can find all of these ingredients at a local farmers’ market or even go forage them yourselves.”

Photography by Hana Jung

PREP TIME: 9 min.
COOK TIME: 21 min.
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS
4 duck breasts
1 cup local cherries, pitted
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2/3 cup wild mushrooms
2 bunches fresh watercress, cleaned
1/3 cup safflower oil
1/4 pound or 1 stick unsalted butter
Salt and pepper (to taste)

PREPARATION
Trim duck breast and score the top (making thin slices so it will cook evenly). Season with salt and pepper. Slice cherries and scallions, combine. Drizzle with oil and seasoning. 

Peel potatoes and dice. Heat safflower oil in skillet, add potatoes and sear. When fully seared, cover potatoes and allow them to finish cooking (approximately 6 to 8 minutes).

While the potatoes are cooking, warm a separate pan and sear the duck breasts, fat side down for 1 minute, then flip each breast over and cover with lid to finish cooking (approximately 3 minutes).

Heat butter in sauce pan. Add mushrooms and cook until butter turns brown and “nutty” (about 3 minutes).
Blanch the watercress very quickly (about 1 minute, tops) in boiling water so the color stays true and texture remains palatable.

Arrange watercress on plate. Slice duck on a bias and place around watercress. Add potatoes and mushrooms around duck. Top with cherry salsa and drizzle remaining mushroom butter over the potatoes and mushrooms.

(May 2008)

Tags: cherry, duck, poultry, recipe, Seared duck with cherry salsa