Need help duplicating a sauce...

[jerseyjay14]

went out to dinner last night, order their duck dish. it was a simple seared duck breast, but the sauce was outstanding...

it was a cherry and carmalized onions type sauce. not much juice to, it was on the thicker side and had cooked cherries in it. not sure how to go about trying to duplicate this other then to throw cherries, some sugar and carmalized onions together and see what happens.

 

[ironchef]

went out to dinner last night, order their duck dish. it was a simple seared duck breast, but the sauce was outstanding...

it was a cherry and carmalized onions type sauce. it was on the thicker side and had cooked cherries in it. not sure how to go about trying to duplicate this other then to throw cherries, some sugar and carmalized onions together and see what happens.

What did the liquid component of the sauce taste like? Wine? Port? Duck stock?

 

[jerseyjay14]

What did the liquid component of the sauce taste like? Wine? Port? Duck stock?

i was hoping you'd show up

if i had to guess i'd say wine... although the flavor was really a heavy cherry flavor. and it was on the thick side, so it was a bit hard to tell what the liquid was comprised of.

any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated as i'd definetly like to add something like this to my arsenal.

 

[ironchef]

For the liquid, I'm guessing that it contained something of the following in whatever parts that they use to make their sauce:

Ruby Port
Red Wine
Cherry Brandy or some other Cherry Liqueur
Demi Glace
Duck or Chicken stock to balance

As for thickening, they could've reduced it naturally or added a slurry, beurre manie, etc. at the end. I highly doubt that it was a roux however, because of the type of sauce.

I guess you could play around with it, but that would be my best guess.

Without knowing if the onions were added during or at the end of the sauce making process, you could maybe try caramelizing the onions, deglazing with port, cherry brandy, and chicken stock, then reducing and thickening as needed. Add the cherries near the end or else they'll break down.

 

[TATTRAT]

I don't know if Cherry Kijafa can be used, but that is a strong cherry liquor.

As for the actual cherries, did they use fresh or like a dried bing cherry?

 

[Michael in FtW]

You ate it - I didn't, so any guesses I could make would be tough to get anywhere close to what you had. There are a lot of different cherry sauce recipes!

Here is one Duck Breasts with Sweet Cherry Sauce recipe that sounds a little like you described ... some are as simple as cherry jam added to the skillet to deglaze the pan ...

 

[jerseyjay14]

I don't know if Cherry Kijafa can be used, but that is a strong cherry liquor.

As for the actual cherries, did they use fresh or like a dried bing cherry?

fresh.....

 

[archiduc]

Hi JerseyJay14,
The classic dish of Duck with cherries is Canard or duck Montmorency. So, the first port of call would be to Google this and see what you come up with. It may be based on demi-glace. Alternatively, one could base it one a sugar caramel and duck stock which gives a much lighter sauce than demi-glace but no less delicious. For this way of making a sauce go to Mastering theArt of French Cooking by Beck, Bertholle and Child and look at their recipe for Duck a l`orange. Working between classic demi-glace based recipes for Duck Montmorency and their recipe for Duck a l`orange you should be able to make a fantastic sauce.
All the best,
Archiduc

 

[jerseyjay14]

For the liquid, I'm guessing that it contained something of the following in whatever parts that they use to make their sauce:

Ruby Port
Red Wine
Cherry Brandy or some other Cherry Liqueur
Demi Glace
Duck or Chicken stock to balance

As for thickening, they could've reduced it naturally or added a slurry, beurre manie, etc. at the end. I highly doubt that it was a roux however, because of the type of sauce.

I guess you could play around with it, but that would be my best guess.

Without knowing if the onions were added during or at the end of the sauce making process, you could maybe try caramelizing the onions, deglazing with port, cherry brandy, and chicken stock, then reducing and thickening as needed. Add the cherries near the end or else they'll break down.

Thanks for the help... i tired it out last night and it came out nearly identical to what i had in the restaraunt...

I carmalized the onions, then i deglazed with some duck stock, Red Wine, and Kirsch(cherry flavored brandy). then just reduced it, and added and cooked the cherries until they were softened... came out great... thanks alot man..

 

[ironchef]

Nice. Glad it came out.