One of the best inventions (if you can call it that) nature has brought with itself is honey. In any form, in any meal, in chapstick, in skin cream, in a hair mask – it always seems to find its place successfully. I completely understand and support it being the most important food in Winnie-the-Pooh’s universe.
My father’s family used to have beehives up on an Alp when he was a child (how Swiss, right?), yielding over a yearly supply of the golden goodness. We regularly try to inspire him to set one up again masking it as a new retirement project…. so far we have failed. On a recent road trip along the West Coast I came across an amazing shop revolving around bee keeping and honey in Portland, OR. I almost took the invisible project a step further by buying all the essentials for a DIY beehive… lucky for my father the only item I left the store with was a honey-inspired cookbook. And here you have it, a twist on one of their recipes – duck and honey are a great couple. Let me know what you think!

Oven Roasted Duck with a Raspberry Honey Sauce

inspired by The Fresh Honey Cookbook

Serves 4

You’ll need

3 duck breasts, ca. 1000g in total
10 tablespoons of runny honey
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries
salt & pepper to taste
a large dollop of butter

1. Start by preheating the oven to 80°C fan assisted.
2. Next prepare your duck by slicing away extra fat/skin and score the fat with a sharp knife. Season with salt & pepper.
3. In a large frying pan, melt a small amount of butter over high heat and sear the duck breasts, skin side down, for 2-3 minutes. Turn over and sear until browned all the way around. Place into your oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until done to desired finish.
4. Meanwhile, to create your sauce, combine the honey, raspberries and about 4 tablespoons of fat from your frying pan in a small pot. Bring to a boil, simmer and allow to thicken. Season with salt & pepper.
5. Once the duck is done, remove from the oven, wrap in foil and set aside to rest for about 6-8 minutes.
6. Slice and serve topped with your sauce along side a fresh salad or, as I decided, a mushroom risotto.