Summary

Ingredients

• 2 duck breasts 300 to 350 g each
• 200 g cranberries, dried, soaked in port the day before
• 150 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
• possibly balsamic vinegar
• 100 ml port wine
• 50 ml red wine, (e.g. Syrah)
• 90 g suar, brown
• 1 star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 150 ml poultry stock (or more, depending on the size the roaster)
• 2 tablespoon jam, (orange jam, bitter)
• 1 onion (s)
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• some marjoram, dried
• a few stems mugwort, dried

For the dumplings:

• 3 rolls
• 140 ml milk
• 50 grams bacon
• 1 onion (s)
• 1 pinch (s) nutmeg
• 1 handful herbs, finely chopped to taste (e.g. parsley, lovage, thyme)
• 1 leek (small)
• 1 egg (s)
• 1 tablespoon butter

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Instructions

1. Wash, dab and parry the duck breasts. Cut the fat layer crosswise without damaging the meat. Rub with salt, pepper and marjoram.
2. Heat a pan, slowly sear the fat side over medium heat (10 minutes), the fat side will turn golden brown. Fry on the other side for 6 minutes.
3. Put the prepared cranberries including port wine in a roasting pan and place the duck breasts on top. Sweat the onions in the pan in the fried duck fat and deglaze with port wine and red wine. Reduce the heat. Stir in the orange jam until it has largely dissolved. Add the chicken stock.
4. Caramelize the cane sugar in a sauté pan. Deglaze with orange juice, if you like, you can add a few dashes of balsamic vinegar. Let it froth up briefly and pour around the duck breasts in the roaster. Put in the star anise and cinnamon stick and a few sprigs of mugwort. Salt the duck breasts a little more and sprinkle with marjoram if necessary.
5. Place the roaster in the oven preheated to a maximum of 80 degrees and cook for 90 to 120 minutes. Heat the last five minutes to 100 degrees. In my experience, it takes a good 120 minutes, longer would not hurt, so it remains a stress-free preparation.
6. Prepare the dumplings three quarters of an hour before the end of the cooking time: Cut three rolls into thin slices and place in a bowl that can be closed tightly. Bring the milk to the boil and pour over the rolls, close the bowl tightly and soak the rolls for 15 minutes. Clean and finely chop the onion and leek, cut the bacon into fine cubes. Sweat in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and add to the bread mixture after the 15 minutes have elapsed. Mix everything well (!) With your hands or a fork, it must be a homogeneous mass. Mix in the herbs and egg, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if necessary, season the mixture to taste before adding the egg).
7. Bring plenty of salted water to the boil in a large saucepan. Caution: it must not boil! Now shape the mixture into small (!) Dumplings, dipping your hands in cold water over and over again. Let the dumplings soak in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Take out with a ladle and keep warm if necessary.
8. Cut the duck breast into slices, serve with gravy and dumplings. Brussels sprouts are very suitable as a vegetable.
9. Wine recommendation: A Syrah goes very well, especially when it is already in the sauce. The aromas of the wine (herbs, pepper, liquorice) harmonize nicely with the aniseed and the herbs in the sauce, the acidity cuts a fine figure with the fruity notes.