I once bought tart cherry syrup (usually made from Montmorency cherries) hoping for its health benefits, but ended up not using much of it. So this time, I decided to try using it in a meat dish. The great thing about cherry sauce is that even a small amount can pack a punch. In the West, cherry sauce is often used to marinate ham, lamb, and duck, as the tartness of the cherries pairs well with flavorful, fatty meats. It's especially popular around Christmas and the winter holiday season.
What you need
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Air fryer or toaster oven
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A resealable plastic bag for marinating duck breasts
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Tongs for handling duck meat
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small knife
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Frying pan or pot
Materials (for 1 sheet)
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1 duck breast (approx. 200-250 g)
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1 tablespoon (approximately 15 ml) cherry sauce
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2 tablespoons (approximately 30 ml) mirin or sake
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1 tablespoon (about 15 ml) olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (about 3 g)
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Up to 1 tablespoon of your favorite Western herbs (e.g., tarragon, thyme, caraway, dill seeds, etc., up to 3 types)
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1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For meats with strong flavors and a lot of fat, it is recommended to use herbs with strong aromas. Personally, I often combine tarragon, thyme, caraway seeds, and dill seeds with duck. I usually combine two to three types of herbs, bringing out the flavor of each one without adding too much. Since garlic and cherry are already in the dish, adding three additional herbs is sufficient. Compared to Eastern spices such as Indian spices, I feel that Western spices are more delicious in less.
How to make it
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Place cherry sauce, oil, mirin, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a sealable bag and mix gently.
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Make shallow grid-like cuts on the skin side of the duck breasts.
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Place the duck breasts in the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably 8 to 24 hours.
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Before cooking, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the duck breasts skin-side down for about 2 minutes to crisp the skin.
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Preheat your air fryer to 200°C and place the duck breasts skin-side up. Cook for 8-12 minutes, with 9 minutes recommended for medium rare.
This recipe produces flavorful, juicy, crispy duck breast with a caramelized cherry sauce. Enjoy the taste of Western Christmas cuisine!
English:
One time, I got tart cherry syrup (often made from Montmorency cherries strongly) for the health benefits. I ended up not using it much. Hence, I decided to use it for baking meats. The good thing about cherry sauce is that you don't need much of the cherry syrup to pack a punch of flavor. Cherry sauces are popular to marinate ham, lamb, and duck in the west, because the tanginess of the cherry compliments flavored and fatty meats. These are particularly popular for Christmas and winter holidays.
Equipment:
- Air fryer, or toaster oven
- Plastic sealable bag to marinade duck breast in
- Tong to pick the duck up
- Small knife
- Skillet or pan
Ingredients:
- 1 duck breast
- 1 tbsp of cherry sauce
- 2 tbspn of Mirin or Sake
- 1 tbspn of Olive oil, or another liquid oil (such as avocado oil)
- 1/2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 1tbspn in any combination of Western herbs, preferably only up to 3 - such as rosemary, thyme, tarragon, caraway seed, dill seed, fennel seeds. These are all popular with duck in the USA.
- A pinch of salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pinch of black pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
For meats with a lot of flavor and fat, I recommend using herbs that are also very fragrant. Personally, I like tarragon, thyme, caraway seed, and dill seed with duck. Usually I mix two or three herbs to keep the flavor profiles of each herb distinct without overdoing it with too many herbs. With the garlic and the cherry already in the mix, adding three extra spices is more than enough. Western spices are "less is more" compared to eastern spices like the ones from India.
How to make:
- Mix all the ingredients together (except duck breast) in the sealable bag by adding them together, sealing the bag, and gently massage the bottom of the bag while keeping the bag upright to make sure nothing spills out on accident
- Score the duck breast, meaning lightly cut squares on the skin side without cutting into the meat itself. The smaller the squares the better
- Add the duck breast into the bag
- Marinate the duck in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably at least 8 hours up to 24 hours
- As time nears to cook the duck, heat up a skillet to brown the duck in at medium-high heat
- Place duck breast with skin side down on the skillet and sear until the skin is slightly brown or fried. This helps the skin be extra crispy once baked. This should take about 2 minutes at most. Don't overcook it.
- Heat up air fryer, then place the duck breast with skin side up. bake the duck breast at 400F for 8-12 minutes based on how well done you want it. I suggest 9 minutes for medium rare, which means the duck breast is juicier. If you did not sear the duck breast on the skillet first, then I recommend air frying for 10-15 minutes.
This should make a duck breast that is flavorful, juicy, and crispy with caramelized cherry sauce. Enjoy the flavor of a western christmas meal
!