Duck Breast with sweet cherry sauce
Created by Annette McDonnell
Pair with Paradise Ridge 2006 Inspirations Petite Sirah

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion (1 small)
3 garlic crushed cloves
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ scant teaspoon dried hot red bell pepper (1/2 medium)
1 plum tomato - coarsely chopped
¼ cup 2006 Inspirations Petite Sirah
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ¼ Lbs. dark sweet cherries such as bing-quartered and pitted (3 cups)
2 (3/4-Lbs.) boneless duck breasts with skin*
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a 2-to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, add onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer 1 minute. Stir in mustard, 1 ½ cups cherries, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute. Puree mixture in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquid). Force cherry sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and transfer ¼ cup sauce to a small bowl for glazing duck.

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat over to 450 degrees. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper. Heat water in a 12 inch cast iron heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush all over with cherry sauce and return to skillet, skin side up.

Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135 deg. F , about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Immediately after cooking duck, carefully pour off any fat from skillet, leaving any brown bits, and add remaining cherry sauce, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add remaining 1 ½ cups cherries. (cherries will lose flavor if cooked; heat from skillet will warm sauce.) Holding a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle, cut duck into slices. Drizzle cherry sauce over the top and sprinkle with chopped tarragon.

Enjoy with Paradise Ridge 2006 Inspirations Petite Sirah