Roast Duck with Sweet Cherry Sauce

This was Carol's b-day dinner - our own Muscovy duck and a sweet, dark cherry sauce to slather over it. Served with steamed fresh broccoli and a wild rice pilaf. Woof! Cherries and the dark, almost "roast beef" flavor of the Muscovy go together really well.

This was simple enough that cooking it was only a background thought while we seeded in tomatoes and peppers, cleaned up and got other chores down. Easy-skeasy and super-delicious. And there are 2 more Muscovy in the freezer!

Ingredients

• 1 duck (we raise Muscovy, best of the ducks, IMHO)
• 20 oz of sweet cherries, pitted (we chose organic frozen ones)
• 12 oz of strong dark beer (we used Sam Adams' Cherry Wheat)
• 2 cups of good broth or stock (our own turkey broth)
• 1 small onion, finely minced or 1/4 cup onion flakes
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• salt and pepper

Steps

1. Roast duck in a 250 F oven, breast side down for 3 hrs.
2. Raise oven to 350 F, flip duck to breast side up for 30-45 minutes. Watch the skin and remove when it becomes crispy, not dry.
3. While the skin crisps, in a pot place the frozen cherries, beer, and broth on medium-high until cherries thaw.
4. Add onions or onion flakes, sugar, and salt and pepper.
5. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to develop the flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.