Canard aux Cérises
The cookbook cited above includes several recipes for roast duck and sweet red cherries, the variety that grows in Alsace being Reverchon or Coeur de Pigeon (Pigeon’s Heart). I use Bing or Montmorency cherries, and you can also substitute peaches or rhubarb. If using rhubarb, just increase the amount of sugar to taste. I use cherries with pits, because they add more flavor, but remember to warn your guests!
Recipe information
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the margarine or vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in the sugar, and stir. Toss in the cherries, coating them well, and simmer for just a few minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and the kirsch, stirring as you bring it just back to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper. Put it in a casserole with the onion, shallot, carrot pieces, cayenne pepper, ginger, and bouquet garni. Cook, covered, for about one hour in the oven, removing the fat that accumulates.
Step 3
After one hour, stir the cherries and their sauce into the casserole. Cook for another 20 minutes, or until the legs move easily when wiggled.
Step 4
Just before serving, remove the bouquet garni. Put the carrot, onion, and shallot in the food processor and purée. Stir them into the sauce, and serve.
