Seared duck breast with fried eggplant, a cherry demi-sauce and a fennel & herb salad

Heat oven to 450.

Season the duck generously with salt and pepper, then place skin side down in a hot pan and allow the fat to render. This should take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
Drain the fat from the pan and cook the duck in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for another five minutes.

For the sauce, place the cherries in a saucepan over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze the pan with the wine, bring to a boil and then add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and chicken broth. Reduce the liquid by half then strain out the spices and set aside.

In a separate saucepan, heat the canola oil to 350. While the oil is heating, set up your dredging station for the eggplant. Using 3 separate pans, place the flour in one and add a pinch of both salt and pepper. In the second pan, whisk the eggs together. In the third, add the panko.

When your oil is hot, toss the eggplant in the flour, then in the egg wash, and lastly in the panko.

Gently fry the eggplant in the oil for three minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and let cool. Sprinkle with a little salt.

For the herb salad, in a small bowl combine the fennel, parsley, dill and olive oil. Toss to combine.

In the same pan you cooked the duck, add 4 oz of the cherry sauce and bring to a boil. Add the butter. Whisk constantly until the butter is melted and the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Remove from the heat.

To plate, pour the sauce into the bottom of the bowl, add your sliced duck and the wedges of crisp eggplant and top with the herb salad. Enjoy!