Duck breast with port wine sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 duck breast fillets
• 200 ml red wine, strong
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• ½ shallot(s)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 150 ml port wine, red
• 1 carnation(s)
• 1 small cinnamon stick(s)
• 35 g butter
• salt and pepper
• Water

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Fry the duck breast for 8-9 minutes on each side, then wrap in aluminum foil and let it rest. Reduce the red wine to about 70 ml. In a second saucepan, caramelize the sugar with a little water and a dash of lemon juice, deglaze with vinegar, and reduce. Add the finely chopped shallot and balsamic vinegar. Reduce by half. Add the port wine, cloves, and cinnamon, and reduce by half again. Mix with the reduced red wine, adding any remaining duck juices, if desired. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. It should have a slightly syrupy consistency. Carefully season with salt and pepper, then mount with the ice-cold butter, moving the saucepan in a circular motion, swirling in the butter to dissolve it. You may want to pass it through a fine sieve, but I don’t think this is absolutely necessary.