“The lamb was as good as any he had ever eaten, and the duck was even better, cooked with cherries and lemons and not near as greasy as most. The innkeep brought buttered pease as well, and oaten bread still hot from her oven.” -The Hedge Knight
Duck with Cherries and Lemon
Thoughts:
This was a special request from twitter commenter @theodinspire, who wondered if we’d tackled this recipe yet. It turned out that we hadn’t, but that description is so wonderful that it immediately went to the top of my list.
As you can see from the photo, the color of the finished dish is very striking. That vibrant red comes from the cherry juice and wine, which soak into the skin of the duck as it gets basted. The result is a tart, crisp skin and soft duck on the inside. The citrus and cherry pair well, but not at all in that cherry-ade slushie sort of way. Rather, it’s a kind of savory tartness, with just a bit of a kick from the ginger.
While I’m not sure about pease as a pairing, I think that our oatbread would be just wonderful next to this duck, the candied orange peel complimenting the lemon, while still being rustic enough for a country inn. Pretty decadent fare for a hedge knight!