Aylesbury Duck with Cherry Sauce
Crisp-skinned roast duck breasts served with a glossy, tart-sweet orchard cherry reduction. A quintessential Buckinghamshire heritage recipe.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •Frying pan
- •Baking tray
- •Chef's knife
- •Tongs
- •Whisk
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 32 g
- carbs
- 18 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 38 g
- calories
- 540 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the fan oven to 180°C.
- 2
Score (cut shallow lines across) the duck skin in a fine diamond pattern, avoiding the underlying meat.
- 3
Season both sides of the duck breasts with fine sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- 4
Place the breasts skin-side down in a cold frying pan over low-medium heat on the hob.
- 5
Cook gently for eight to ten minutes until the fat renders (melts out) and the skin is deeply crisp and golden.
- 6
Turn the duck over and sear the flesh side for one minute to seal.
- 7
Transfer the duck skin-side up onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for eight minutes.
- 8
Remove the duck, cover loosely with foil, and rest on a warm board for ten minutes.
- 9
Pour away all but one tablespoon of duck fat from the pan, then fry the shallots until soft.
- 10
Pour in the red wine, scraping up browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half.
- 11
Add the stock, cherries, redcurrant jelly, and thyme, then simmer for five minutes until glossy.
- 12
Whisk in the cold butter off the heat, slice the duck thickly, and spoon the sauce over.
Chef's tips
Always start duck breasts in a cold pan so the thick subcutaneous fat renders slowly before the skin browns. Do not slice the meat immediately after roasting, as resting allows the juices to redistribute evenly.
Ingredient substitutions
- fresh sweet cherries → frozen pitted dark cherries or tinned cherries in light syrup
- duck stock → rich dark chicken stock
Storage
Keep leftover sliced duck and cherry sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat the duck gently in a covered ovenproof dish at 150°C and warm the sauce in a small pan on the hob.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Starting duck in a searing hot pan, which scorches the skin and leaves flabby, unrendered fat underneath.
- •Cutting into the duck flesh while scoring, which releases valuable meat juices during cooking.
- •Boiling the finished sauce after whisking in the cold butter, which splits the silky emulsion.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Aylesbury Duck with Cherry Sauce?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from South East England
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
