My first trip to Paris was…not the best.

It was the second stop on our 2006 backpacking trip.  The first time I had ever been to a country where English was not the primary language. It started off great – we were upgraded to a private room in our hostel with a private bathroom and gorgeous French windows with a view of the tippety-top of the Eiffel Tower – we were on a very tight budget, so this was a luxury.  We tried to cram a lot into our four days – a day trip to Normandy, a trip to Versailles – and out last day was cut short as we intended to take a night train to Milan, but it was fully booked and we had to leave much earlier in the day.  This left us with one full day to explore Paris.  We tried to squeeze in A LOT – after all, who knew when we would be able to return to Paris (the answer turned out to be 9 years, but hey – I can’t see the future!)  Of course there were some wonderful moments – being taken to a good boulangerie by a native Parisian for a baguette to complete our picnic lunch – but when it came time to make it to the Eiffel Tower in time for the sunset, all hell broke loose.  Suffice it to say we were sweaty (it was mid-July), tired, and pissed off at each other by the time we arrived to stand in line and wait…and wait.  But when we arrived atop the Eiffel Tower, shades of purple and orange were dipping below the horizon,  casting beautiful shadows across the Champs de Mars.  I think we both felt breathless – the air felt charged and our moods changed. But ever since that first trip, I have wanted a do-over.  We were so young and inexperienced – and my 21 year-old palette was no where near ready to appreciate French food.

Fast forward to fall, 2015.  For a combo celebration of my 30th birthday and our five year wedding anniversary, we finally made it back to Paris before heading to Munich for Oktoberfest with friends (a story for another time).  This time, I was ready. Our Airbnb was perfect – a 6th floor walkup in the 15th arrondissement right on the metro with a full view of the Eiffel Tower. Most especially, I was ready to EAT.  Our first night, I had made a reservation at a small restaurant in the 7th arrondissement, a short walk from the Champs de Mars, that specialized in foie gras and other preparations of duck.  Each table had it owns toaster, and we started with pan seared foie gras over sautéed apples which we smothered onto freshly toasted bread.  Then the main course.  I ordered the cassoulet – a rich, slow cooked stew of meat (in this case, duck), sausage and beans from Southwest France named for the vessel in which it is typically cooked – a clay pot called a cassole.  It was a revelation.  It was certainly not the most beautiful dish in the world, but it is the first and only time food made me cry. Rich, hearty, and more comforting than a warm blanket – it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I ate duck three out of our four nights in Paris on that trip, but that cassoulet to this date is the best thing I have ever eaten.

Unfortunately for you and me, cassoulet takes 2-3 days to make properly, so this is not a recipe for cassoulet.  I have never attempted to make it myself, I think a part of me is afraid it will simply never live up to “that time in Paris.”  But whenever I am craving French food at home, I make this easy pan-seared duck breast with red wine and blackberry gastrique for a taste of Paris.

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Blackberry Gastrique

Ingredients:

• 2 duck breasts (preferably magret moulard duck breasts, which my local Wegman’s carries, but you can also order online from D’Artagnan)
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 3-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 cup red wine (I prefer Cotes du Rhône for this recipe, but a cabernet or chianti would be fine)
• 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar (if your balsamic is super thin/sour, add 1tsp of sugar)

Directions:

1. Let the duck come up to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
2. In a small saucepan, heat wine over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil and let reduce for about 15 minutes.
3. Add blackberries, thyme, and a hearty pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, pressing the blackberries occasionally with a wooden spoon, until they have broken down into the sauce, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the balsamic, remove the thyme, and strain the gastrique into a bowl or another small saucepan through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down with a spoon to get out all the juices and leaving behind the blackberry seeds and any leftover pieces of thyme.
5. Keep the sauce warm on the stove over low heat while the duck rests.
6. While the sauce is cooking, score the fat of the duck in diagonal slits both horizontally and vertically with a sharp knife, creating a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to slice into the breast.
7. Pat breasts dry, season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
8. Place breasts skin side down in an unheated, heavy bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron.
9. Turn the heat under the pan to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes until the skin is rendered through and is a nice brown color similar, to a dark caramel.
10. Flip the duck, cook for another 5-7 minutes for medium rare.
11. Remove the duck to a plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
12. Slice the duck and serve with the gastrique spooned alongside.