2 whole (4 halves) skin-on, boneless duck breasts (about 1/2 lb. each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pt. fresh raspberries or pitted sweet or sour cherries, depending on what’s in season
2 T raspberry vinegar
1/2 t sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Score the duck skin in a diamond pattern and sprinkle the breasts with salt and pepper. Place the breasts, skin side down, in a 12” cast iron skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook until the skin is golden brown. Carefully pour off as much of the fat as possible and refrigerate in a tightly covered container for a future use (like browning potatoes).
- Turn the breasts over, skin side up, and place the skillet in the oven. Cook the duck to your desired degree of doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare. Transfer the duck breasts to a warm platter to rest at least 5 minutes. The breasts may then be sliced or left whole to serve.
- Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat, add the raspberries, and cook just until they are beginning to burst, about 1 minute or less, depending on their ripeness. Sprinkle them with the vinegar and sugar and toss to blend. Add a little water to deglaze the pan, scraping up the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour over the duck breasts to serve.
Serves 4
