Canard Rôti aux Cerises...Canard Rôti aux Cerises Noires et Purée de Céleri-Rave Truffée

Pan-roasted French Magret duck breast with crisp skin, accompanied by a silky black truffle-infused celeriac purée, butter-glazed baby carrots, and a glossy Port-Griotte cherry reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the celeriac purée: In a medium saucepan, cover diced celeriac with cold salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 18–20 minutes until fork-tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer hot celeriac to a high-speed blender with warm heavy cream, 30g chilled butter, and truffle paste. Blend until ultra-silky. Season with fine sea salt and pass through a fine-mesh tamis sieve. Keep warm.

2. 02

   Glaze the baby carrots: Place carrots in a small skillet with 50ml water, 10g butter, a pinch of sugar, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat until the water evaporates and the carrots are tender-crisp and coated in a lustrous glaze (about 8–10 minutes).

3. 03

   Prepare and render the duck: Score the duck breast skin in a tight, fine diamond pattern, taking care not to pierce the flesh. Season both sides generously with fine salt and cracked black pepper. Place the duck skin-side down in a cold, dry heavy-bottomed cast-iron pan. Turn the heat to low-medium to slowly render the fat for 10–12 minutes, periodically pouring off excess liquid fat until the skin is deep golden and paper-thin crisp.

4. 04

   Sear and rest the duck: Increase heat to medium-high, flip the duck flesh-side down, add 2 sprigs of thyme, and sear for 2–3 minutes for an internal temperature of 54°C (130°F) for medium-rare. Transfer duck to a warm resting rack, loosely tented with foil, and rest for 8–10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.

5. 05

   Prepare the Griotte-Port reduction: Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Sweat the brunoised shallot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Deglaze with Ruby Port, scraping the caramelized fond from the pan bottom. Reduce by two-thirds, then pour in the duck demi-glace and remaining thyme. Simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon (nappe consistency). Stir in the halved cherries and swirl in the remaining 20g of cold butter to create a glossy emulsion. Season to taste and remove thyme sprigs.

6. 06

   Dress and plate: Slice each rested duck breast diagonally into 5 even medallions. Swipe a generous spoonful of truffled celeriac purée across each warmed plate. Fan the sliced duck breast adjacent to the purée, arrange glazed baby carrots alongside, spoon the warm cherry-Port reduction around the duck, and finish with a sprinkle of Fleur de sel on the meat.