Duck breast with cranberries: crisp skin, pink heart
Quicker than a turkey and just as festive, duck breast is the Christmas dish for small gatherings. Very crisp skin, pink flesh and a slightly tart cranberry sauce: you only need a pan, a few minutes in the oven and a little patience during the resting.
- 4 servings, 2 duck breasts, 15 min preparation
- Scored skin, cold start in the pan
- 6 to 8 min at 180 °C, core at 54 °C on the probe
- 10 min rest, time to make the sauce
Appliance and settingInduction hob, then oven at 180 °C fan
Ingredients
The festive dish that doesn't take all day
Magret is the breast of a fattened duck, covered in a thick layer of fat. When cooked properly, that fat turns into a thin, crisp skin protecting tender, pink meat. Paired with a cranberry sauce, the tart red berry of the festive season, it makes an elegant Christmas dish, ready in under 40 minutes. The two keys: a cold start for the skin, and a proper rest.
The steps
- Take the duck breasts out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand. Meat at room temperature cooks more evenly.
- Score the skin. Using a sharp knife, make crosshatch cuts 1 cm apart through the fat, without touching the flesh. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Cold start. Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan. Place the duck breasts skin side down in a large cold frying pan, with no added fat. Switch the hob on to level 6.
- Render the fat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes without touching. Every 3 minutes, spoon out the rendered fat and pour it into a bowl. The skin should be well browned and noticeably thinner.
- Sear the flesh side. Turn the duck breasts over and leave for barely 1 minute on level 7.
- Finish in the oven. Place them skin side up in an ovenproof dish and put it on shelf 2 for 6 to 8 minutes. Insert the probe into the centre of the thickest breast and set it to 54 °C.
- Let it rest. Take the duck breasts out, cover them with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. The juices spread through the meat instead of running onto the board.
- The cranberry sauce. While it rests, keep a spoonful of fat in the pan. Soften the finely chopped shallot for 2 minutes on level 5. Add the port and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock, honey, vinegar and cranberries. Simmer for 5 minutes on level 4, until the cranberries burst. Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter to thicken the sauce.
- Slice and serve. Cut the duck breasts into 1 cm slices on the diagonal. Spoon over the sauce and sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.
Appliance settings
| Step | Appliance and mode | Setting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Render the fat, skin side | Induction hob | Level 6, cold pan start | 8 to 10 min |
| Sear flesh side | Induction hob | Level 7 | 1 min |
| Finish | Oven, fan-assisted | 180 °C, shelf level 2 | 6 to 8 min |
| Finish with probe | Oven with probe | Core 52 to 54 °C (pink), 58 °C (medium) | Depending on thickness |
| Sauce | Induction hob | Level 5, then 4 | 10 min |
With the probe cooking function, the oven switches off or alerts you as soon as the target temperature is reached: no more guesswork.
Variations
- Cherry sauce : swap the cranberries for well-drained morello cherries in natural juice.
- With Liège syrup : a spoonful of Liège syrup instead of the honey, for a distinctly Belgian touch.
- With pears : serve with Conference pear quarters fried in the duck fat.
- Alcohol-free : replace the port with red grape juice and a splash of red wine vinegar.
Storage and advance preparation
The duck breast is cooked at the last minute, but a lot can be prepared in advance. The day before : score the skin and keep the duck breasts in the fridge, covered in cling film. The morning : make the sauce up to adding the butter, then reheat it when serving. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge : serve them cold, in thin slices, on a salad with a few walnuts.
Never throw away the fat you drain from the pan! Strain it into a jar: it's used to brown potatoes for the same meal, or for the next day. And if you're having more than four guests, allow one duck breast for every two people, and cook them in two pans: packed into one, they release water instead of browning.
Which appliance?
For the duck breast, you need a hob that keeps a steady heat in a large frying pan, and ideally an oven with probe for precise cooking to the exact degree.
An induction hob with a large zone
A wide zone heats the whole pan evenly. Examples from us: Siemens ED651HSB1E (iQ500, combiZone, connected), Bosch PIJ631HB1E (Series 6, 28 cm cooking zone, Home Connect).
€739.99 and €679.99
An oven with a cooking probe
Siemens HB774G2B1 (iQ700, cooking probe, CookControl Pro, Home Connect), Samsung NV7B45502AB (probe included, Dual Cook Flex, steam), Hisense BSA66334PX (probe, assisted steam and AirFry).
From 599,99 € to 1 229,99 €
Induction to start with
The Hisense HI6311BSCE, three zones and booster up to 3,600 W.
299,99 €
Public prices recorded on 15 October 2026: the product page is the reference, and Nimesclub members often get a reduced price. Check on the product page whether the probe is supplied with the oven.
Hobs and ovens with probe in store
Induction Hob SIEMENS ED651HSB1E€739.00
Induction hob BOSCH PIJ631HB1E€679.00
Hob HISENSE HI6311BSCE€212.00
SIEMENS HB774G2B1 Built-in Oven€1,229.00
Built-in Oven SAMSUNG NV7B45502AB€1,079.00
Built-in oven HISENSE BSA66334PX€599.00With the duck breast, serve a gratin dauphinois prepared the day before. And to set your hob properly, read cooking with induction.
Frequently asked questions
Why start the duck breast in a cold pan?
Because the fat melts gently as the pan heats up gradually. The skin becomes thin and crisp, instead of burning on the outside while staying thick and flabby underneath.
What core temperature for pink duck breast?
Take it out of the oven at 52 to 54 °C at the core. While resting, it will rise another 3 to 4 degrees, so it will be pink. For medium, aim for 58 °C when it leaves the oven.
What should you do with duck fat?
Keep it carefully in a jar in the fridge. It makes the best sautéed potatoes in the world, and it keeps for several weeks.
The right oven makes all the difference
Steam ovens, pyrolytic ovens, induction hobs: come and see them at our Temploux store, or ask our expert salesperson for advice.
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