Wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated blueberries but they have an intense flavour and twice the antioxidants of cultivated blueberries. This recipe will work just fine with regular blueberries if you aren’t lucky enough to find some wild ones. If you are collecting wild ones, use caution and do your research as some varieties can be confused with inedible berries.
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup wild blueberries or substitute 1/4 cup regular blueberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 sprig of tarragon, plus additional for garnish
Preparation
Combine red wine, chicken stock, blueberries and honey in a saucepan and reduce on medium heat until mixture has a syrupy consistency. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Pat dry two duck breasts and score the skin and fat in a cross-hatch pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Lay the duck breasts, skin side down, in a cold cast-iron pan. Turn the heat up to medium and let the fat render slowly. Cook until the skin becomes crispy and golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the duck over and cook on the other side for approximately two minutes. Put the pan in the preheated oven and roast for another two minutes for medium-rare, four minutes for medium. Remove the pan from the oven, place the duck on a platter. Allow to rest for 10 minutes (be sure to save the accumulated duck fat for another use).
To serve, gently heat the sauce, adding in any juices that have accumulated from the resting duck. Once the duck has rested for the full 10 minutes, slice on the diagonal, arrange on a platter and spoon the heated sauce over the slices. Garnish with additional sprigs of fresh tarragon.
