Recipe: Duck aiguillettes with wine sauce

1 Finely slice the shallots. Melt a knob of butter mixed with a splash of oil in a small saucepan. When the mixture is hot, melt the shallots very gently, avoiding any browning. The shallots are done when they are completely translucent and form a smooth, well-blended mixture. Add a small glass of Cognac to the pan and flame it. Season with salt and pepper.

2 Return to the heat and add 1/2 bottle of good Bordeaux red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce by 1/3 over low heat, stirring regularly. Once reduced, taste and adjust seasoning and acidity. If the mixture is still too acidic or too vinous, add a piece of sugar. Let it reduce a few more minutes.

3 Just before serving, incorporate 7 oz (200 g) of fresh butter, piece by piece, whisking constantly to mount the sauce. This final operation is done at the edge of the heat and at the last moment because this sauce should not wait. As soon as it is emulsified, pour this sauce into a sauceboat and serve.

4 Place the aiguillettes on a shallow plate, sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme flowers, turn them in three tablespoons of olive oil and let them marinate for 1/2 hour.

5 Prepare a good wood fire to have a nice bed of coals. Spread out the coals, let them cool slightly for a few minutes, then place the aiguillettes on the grill and sear them for about three minutes on each side. You can of course sear the aiguillettes under the oven grill, or on the cast iron grill of your stove, but it's more festive in the fireplace!

6 Place the hot aiguillettes in a warm dish, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately with the sauce. The success of the sauce is recognized by obtaining a light brown, homogeneous and smooth mixture that no longer suggests the red wine that serves as the base for its preparation, but rather a good well-bound meat gravy. It works with a good Médoc or a good Cahors.