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

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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

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