Magret de Canard with Raspberry Sauce
Magret de Canard
with Raspberry & Cassis Sauce
Restaurant-level duck in 20 minutes — crispy skin, pink centre, glossy berry sauce
One perfect duck breast per person, seared and roasted to medium-rare, served with an intense red wine, cassis and raspberry sauce that’s pure French luxury.
Crispy, rosy, and outrageously good.
Serves
1 (multiply as needed)
1 (multiply as needed)
Prep
10 min
10 min
Cook
20 min
20 min
Oven
200 °C
200 °C
Ingredients – per person
- 1 Magret de Canard (large duck breast, skin on)
- 1 French shallot, finely chopped
- 300 ml red wine
- 100 ml Crème de Cassis
- 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen raspberries
- 50 g cold butter, cubed
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
The Raspberry & Cassis Sauce
1. In a small saucepan bring the red wine and chopped shallot to the boil. Reduce gently until about half remains.
2. Add the Crème de Cassis and raspberries. Continue reducing until thick and syrupy (coats the back of a spoon).
3. Just before serving, whisk in the cold butter piece by piece off the heat — this makes the sauce glossy and luxurious.
The Duck Breast
4. Preheat oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan).
5. Score the fatty skin in a tight criss-cross pattern (don’t cut into the meat). Season generously with salt.
6. Place duck skin-side down in a cold, heavy-based oven-proof pan. Turn heat to medium-high. Cook 6–8 minutes until the skin is deep golden and most of the fat has rendered.
7. Turn the breast over, then transfer pan to the hot oven. Roast fat-side up for 10–12 minutes for medium-rare (internal 52–55 °C). Rest 5 minutes under loose foil.
8. Slice on the diagonal and serve with the warm glossy sauce spooned over.
Perfect Sides
French Green Beans & Garlic Roast Potatoes
Garlic & Herb Green Beans (serves 4)
- 400 g fine French green beans, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
- Handful flaked almonds (optional)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
Blanch beans in boiling salted water 3 minutes → drain → plunge into ice water → drain again. Melt butter, gently fry garlic and almonds 1 minute, toss in beans to heat through, finish with lemon, salt & pepper.
Garlic Roast Potatoes (serves 4)
- 1 kg floury potatoes (King Edward, Maris Piper)
- 4–6 tablespoons duck fat or olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled & lightly crushed
- Few sprigs rosemary or thyme
- Sea salt flakes
Parboil peeled chunks 8 minutes → drain → shake to roughen edges. Heat fat in roasting tray at 200 °C → add potatoes, garlic & herbs → roast 45–60 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp. Finish with sea salt.
Pro tip: Use the rendered duck fat from the breast pan for the roast potatoes — flavour explosion!
Restaurant trick: One magret per person is generous French style — looks stunning and everyone gets perfect crispy skin.
Simple, stunning, and pure French bistro magic on a plate.
