Each little raspberry you’ve ever popped in your mouth consists of 50 to 150 teeny- tiny fruitlets (read: individual fruits). These little guys, with their own seed and pulp, are bound together by the hairs on their surface — an entanglement that (and who actually knows this?) served as inspiration for Velcro. Of course the small darlings have more to recommend them besides hair. Their delicate, velvety texture for one. Their trademark sweet-tart bite, ruby color and perfume are pretty seductive too. Despite being a mid-summer fruit, commercial raspberries are available year-round. Nothing, however, compares to the real thing and we’re in luck, ‘cause they’re in season now.
Sensitive treasures, raspberries neither travel well nor keep long. When choosing your bunch, look for firm, bright specimens, with no mold in sight. At home lay them out on a paper-lined tray and if you see a bad one, discard. You know the rotten apple adage. They are best eaten the day of and should be kept out of the fridge, in a cool, dark space. Not all together finicky, you should be happy to know they freeze well too.*
Raspberries with honey whipped cream, or even just cool, fresh cream, is one of life’s great pleasures. On top of meringue or chocolate cake, they balance and brighten. A good raspberry sauce, which is easy to make, pairs perfectly with nearly every dessert on earth. While no stranger to the sweeter things in life, raspberries are rarely seen in savory dishes. I don’t know why. Personally, they are too good to keep to one course alone. Since raspberries are in season now, it’s the right time to use them in unexpected ways. Here’s a recipe for the meat eaters among you.
Duck With Raspberry Sauce
Serves 4
2 1-pound duck breasts
Salt
1 shallot, peeled and sliced thin
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon black pepper corns, coarsely smashed
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves
2 cups demi-glace or reduced meat stock
2 cups fresh raspberries **
2 tablespoons butter
Alternative: Use thyme instead of bay leaves and/or add a cinnamon stick to the saucepot
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
Pat the breasts dry and score the skin, being careful not to slice through to the meat, at three equal intervals. Season both sides of the breasts with salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, but not smoking, lay the duck skin-side down, in the pan.
Sear the breasts for about 3 minutes, or until the skin turns a deep golden brown. Lower the heat to medium and flip the breast. Sear the meat an additional 3-4 minutes (be prepared to stand back because the pan grease can spatter). Pour off the fat into a heat-proof receptacle and set it aside for future use. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 10 minutes, or until the inside is a nice medium rare and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the breasts from the oven and allow to rest on a cutting board. Pour the pan juices into a small bowl and save for later.
Clean out the pan and set it over medium-high heat. Heat two tablespoons of the reserved fat and add the sliced shallots and garlic clove. Sauté until soft and golden, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sugar. Add the black pepper, bay leaf, vinegar and wine. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, making sure to stir and scrape any bits attached to the pan. Add the demi-glace (or reduced stock) and the pan juices and bring to a simmer. Add the raspberries and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Set a sieve over a deep bowl and pour the sauce through. Using a spoon, force all the juices through the sieve and discard the solids that remain. Wipe out the pan and pour in the strained sauce. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Set the pan back over low heat and swirl in the butter. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining raspberries.
Slice the meat thinly and arrange the slices on four plates. Spoon the raspberry sauce over and serve. Pretty new potatoes, sliced and dotted with either butter or crème fraiche are a nice accompaniment.
* To freeze your seasonal berries for later use: lay them out in a single layer on a tray and set the tray in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer all the berries to a zip lock bag and use as needed. If cooking with frozen berries instead of fresh berries, thaw completely before using.
** At Eatsy, we’ve enjoyed the raspberries from Phillips Farms and Wilklow Orchards. Though we’ve heard of local foraging options too.
Once a week Etsy worker bees gather ’round our handmade farm tables to dig into seasonal dishes. We call this gathering Eatsy, and by far, it’s the best day at the office. Kitty Greenwald, cook and author, makes these dishes from scratch and the menu changes weekly. Eatsy’s objectives are simple: apply Etsy’s handmade values to food and provide the Brooklyn crew with a nourishing, communal meal. This is no different than what many of you do with friends and family in your homes. Eatsy strives to create a similar environment in the workplace, and we want to give you all a taste of Kitty’s amazing cooking. Here she is to share her tips for sourcing locally grown food and a recipe to boot.
Do you support your local farmers’ market? Tell us about your recipes in the comments and share links to Flickr photos. Let’s make everyone hungry!
49 comments
Sign in to add your ownGauche says:
I love this article, I have never eaten duck before but this makes it sound delicious! Thank you for this wonderful read!
1 year ago
concentric says:
Love, love, love! Duck is often high in fat, but sooo delicious! Adding a sweet condiment (my dad, the family cook, often uses peaches) really picks up the flavor. Thank you for this recipe!
1 year ago
martice says:
looks delicious :P but as a vegetarian I like the related items more ;)
1 year ago
Ebruk says:
Yummmy ! I ate duck ones !But I dont like.But it looks delicious !
1 year ago
missive says:
mmm~ sounds fabulous!
1 year ago
thelittlemarket says:
Don't eat duck, but love all of the wonderful finds!!! The jams look delish!!
1 year ago
paperholiday says:
Delicious!
1 year ago
BlackStar says:
I'm not a duck fan, but my dh is. I read the directions for freezing and using berries. When I'm going to bake something with frozen berries, I add them to the batter frozen. They hold together better. IMO~
1 year ago
AZCreativeStudio says:
Looks amazing!
1 year ago
KMalinka says:
Yummy raspberries!
1 year ago
xandydesigns says:
Drupelets is the correct term not fruitlets. "Each little raspberry you’ve ever popped in your mouth consists of 50 to 150 teeny- tiny fruitlets (read: individual fruits)."
1 year ago
lyons21 says:
This sounds really good! I have never had duck before though!
1 year ago
brideblu says:
How cute do those little "fruitlets" sound?!?!? Who knew! Yummy looking recipe :)
1 year ago
thetailorsstories says:
yummy yummy yummy!!!
1 year ago
filmshirley says:
FYI, it wasn't raspberries that served as his inspiration for Velcro...it was burdock burrs that got stuck in his dog's fur! Also this sounds delicious.
1 year ago
worksofwhimsy says:
I prefer my raspberries naked--no cream, no duck, no anything. Yum!
1 year ago
sajataeford2bd says:
That looks so good. Man I want some. I'm not even a duck fan but that looks great.
1 year ago
polkadotmagpie says:
My mouth was watering! Sounds delicious. Thanks.
1 year ago
gooseEatFox says:
Nom! Sounds so good! Filmshirley... that's what I thought, too! Burrs and velcro make more sense, I think.
1 year ago
nonesuchgarden says:
Oh my gosh, that sounds so yummy!! Thank you for sharing this treat!
1 year ago
SimpleJoysPaperie says:
I've never tried duck, but this looks delicious!
1 year ago
gemagenta says:
M M M M M M M M! I'm hungry!
1 year ago
BonTons says:
Oh yummmmm!
1 year ago
Emmamaha says:
Your choices for the related items are more attractive for my palate. The raspberry earl grey tea and the vegan chocolate cookies sound especially good.
1 year ago
jbeaudet says:
Now I'm hungry! Yummmmm! Thanks for the great recipe!
1 year ago
StringsnTings says:
This looks absolutely scrumptious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
1 year ago
HazelHoney says:
I have a 2 "pet ducks" that live in my backyard so this recipe makes me .....well.....sad to say the least.....:(
1 year ago
BambuEarth says:
I love raspberries!
1 year ago
ecozuzu says:
yum! :)
1 year ago
juln says:
Hooray for berries! One nice thing about N. Minnesota is the wild fruit. My backyard is full of raspberries, as are the local trails - you don't have to pack snacks for hiking. Another tasty and somewhat exotic berry that grows wild here is the thimbleberry - http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6743/thimbleberry47ft.jpgwhich tastes a bit like a raspberry.
1 year ago
girltuesdayjewelry says:
I really enjoy these Eatsy blog articles. Keep 'em comin!
1 year ago
breakerbreaker says:
Duck used to be my birthday dish every year. However, one year I had some bad duck and nixed the tradition. Maybe I'm going to change my mind.
1 year ago
hippiekingdom says:
I read the article slowly, some lines again and again, now I feel like I have eaten it! Yummmmy!!!
1 year ago
poplovedesigns says:
My mouth actually started watering when I started reading this, and I could swear that I smell raspberries now! This looks absolutely delish! Thanks for sharing :) <3 Andrea
1 year ago
jewellerytreasures says:
i love duck and cherrys that recipe sounds so yummy!!
1 year ago
jewellerytreasures says:
i love duck and rasberrys that recipes sounds so nice yummy!!
1 year ago
jubilee82 says:
So cool!!
1 year ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Wow great recipe I've never cooked duck before but I love it, I usually only ever have in restaurants. Maybe I'll give it a go for myself for a change!
1 year ago
SilverPearDesigns says:
mm, I love duck, I love raspberries, and the combo sounds fantastic!
1 year ago
prettypanda says:
I love duck but never thought about it with raspberry sauce. Thank you for sharing!
1 year ago
5gardenias says:
i have to say that as a vegetarian and a fan of living ducks-- i'm not so hungry anymore. quack quack.
1 year ago
bhangtiez says:
I still havn't tried duck, but that looks amazing...mmmm raspberries too!
1 year ago
Tumus says:
Like a few other I've not tried duck before but this recipe sounds very tasty!
1 year ago
HornCatCreations says:
Duck is amazing! I also recommend trying it with orange & sage. The flavours are fantastic!
1 year ago
designMatter says:
Yummy!!!
1 year ago
JMGJewelDesign says:
I prefer my ducks alive.... but the raspberries look yummy :)
1 year ago
sukran says:
I prefer my ducks alive also.
1 year ago
muchuanlin says:
Your choices for the related items are more attractive for my palate. The raspberry earl grey tea and the vegan chocolate cookies sound especially good. www.magnets-fasts.com/knowledge/
1 year ago
LuBluDesigns says:
I have only had duck once, but I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.
1 year ago