Duck Breast with Cranberry Sauce and Caramelized Apple Wedges

Carefully scratch the skin of the duck breast with a sharp knife without damaging the meat. Place the breasts skin-side down without fat in a pan that is not too hot and fry until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Then pour off the omitted fat (do not throw away, it is still used for the sauce) and fry briefly on the other side. Then insert a core temperature thermometer into one of the duck breasts and place the breasts on a fire-proof dish with the skin side up in the oven. The temperature of the oven can be freely selected here (80 - 150 degrees) the lower, the softer the meat will be afterwards, but the longer it will take until the desired core temperature is reached. The target temperature of the thermometer is 68 degrees.

Quarter the apples and remove the core. Then cut the quarters into thin slices (approx. 3 - 4 mm). Peel the shallots and cut them into thin slices. Heat the pan that was used to sear the duck breasts again and first sear the shallots briefly, then add the apples. Fry over medium heat until the apples soften (still firm to the bite). Now sprinkle the apples generously with cane sugar and caramelize with a burner.

Put the cranberries in a large saucepan and pour water over them until they are completely covered. Bring to the boil until the cranberries start to burst, reduce the heat a little and wait until all the berries have burst (i.e. until the popping stops) and reduce the heat even further. Now stir in the sugar according to the desired degree of sweetness of the sauce (a good guideline is approx. 60 - 90 g sugar for 2 packs). Slowly reduce the sauce during the other work steps and stir again and again. When the sauce has thickened and the overcooked berries have sagged, strain the sauce through a sieve. Season the sauce with a little duck fat, salt and pepper and a little sherry.