Seared Wild Duck Breasts with Blackberry-Wine Sauce

The tart frutiness of blackberries cuts through the richness of duck in this dish. If you don’t have wild duck on hand, store-bought duck will be a fine substitute, but be aware that if the skin and luscious fat remains on your from-the-store duck, you’ll want to account for that in the recipe and drain the fat from the pan after searing the breasts. It will take longer for the store-bought duck to cook, but be just as careful that you don’t overcook the meat as it will dry out.

Recipe by Catherine Neville

Yield 2 servings

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tbsp honey

• 4 Tbsp neutral oil, divided

• 1 minced garlic clove

• 1 Tbsp water

• 2 skinless wild duck breast halves

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup white wine

• 2 shallots, chopped

• 1 cup fresh blackberries

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

• wild rice and chopped chives to serve

| Preparation | Combine vinegar, honey, oil, garlic and water in a shallow dish. Add the duck breasts and turn to coat with the marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Heat a mid-size skillet on medium-high heat. Remove the breasts from the marinade and wipe off any excess. Add a small amount of oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. Rub the duck with oil, season with salt and pepper and add to hot skillet. Sear the duck on both sides until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and lightly cover with foil.

While the duck is resting, deglaze pan with wine and then add shallots, stirring, then blackberries, cooking until the blackberries soften and begin to bubble and reduce. Stir in the sage, taste and adjust seasoning.

Slice duck on an angle, fan across hot wild rice, then spoon the pan sauce over the duck and top with chopped fresh chives.