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A taste of two countries

A Czech favorite prepared in a French fashion

September 13th, 2006 issue

Port wine sauce adds incredible richness to roast duck from the Perigeuex region.

French duck meat dishes rank as one of my favorites, especially if the meat comes from the Perigueux area, which is famous for its breed and high-quality duck meat. When you taste it, you'll understand why duck meat is used more than any other meat in that region.

Roast duck breasts in port wine sauce are easy to prepare. All it takes is a little culinary know-how, such as proper roasting and reducing liquid in a pan — also known as making a sauce. You can, of course, use local duck breast for similar results. As trimmings, I recommend young onions, preferably spring ones, the very fine taste of which adds remarkably to the flavor of the meat and port-wine sauce.

In the end, you will see the value of this uncomplicated dish.

Ingredients	Preparation
Serves one - 200 grams (7 ounces) duck breast (preferably from France) - 150 grams cleaned young onions (frozen onions acceptable) - 10 grams butter - 1 deciliter port wine - 1 deciliter strong veal stock, demi glace (instant or in paste is acceptable, too, or you can use strong beef stock) - Salt and pepper - Herbs for the final decoration (thyme or rosemary)	Meat and sauce - Clean the duck breasts; make lattice cuts in the skin for better roasting and add salt and pepper. - Heat the pan (without lard) and put in the meat with skin at the bottom to make sure the fat is well-seared. - Roast under a stable temperature on both sides. - When done, place meat in a preheated oven and finish as you like it best — we recommend medium — then put the breasts on a small plate and leave in a warm place (not on the pan). - We prepare sauce on the pan immediately after finishing the meat. - Pour out the fat and pour in some port wine. Allow the heat to reduce it to half, then add veal stock and cook until you get a thick sauce. - Add salt and pepper.	Onions - Melt butter in the pan; add onions, salt, pepper and roast until golden brown while stirring occasionally. - Place the onions in a preheated oven (180200 degrees C) and finish roasting until tender. - To serve, cut the meat in fine slices and decorate with herbs (thyme or rosemary).

Jaromír Froulík is chef at Atelier, located at Na Kovárně 8, Prague 10Vršovice. Tel. 271 721 866.

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