Chef Juliette
Caneton Nantais à la Choucroûte
A whole Nantes duckling, browned and gently braised with Rhine wine, carved over choucroute glazed nearly dry with salt pork, then finished beneath a restrained veil of glossy veal sauce.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Aiguillettes de Rouennais aux Cerises
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1756, Aiguillettes de Rouennais aux Cerises, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Bronzed Rouen duck breast, sliced into aiguillettes and veiled with clear Madeira pan liquor, with tart Morello cherries warmed only at the finish so every fruit keeps its shape and bite.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Date Night
25 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield4 servings
Aiguillettes de Rouennais aux Cerises (lengthwise slices of Rouen duckling breast with cherries) teaches clarity in sauce-making. Remove the grease completely, then give the Madeira-rich cooking liquor only enough arrowroot to cling. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: arrowroot should make a translucent veil, never a gravy.
The original entry assumes a saucier, veal gravy always ready beside the stove, muslin for a perfectly clear strain, and enough hands to slice the bird while its sauce is finished. At home, Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755) supplies the referenced poêlé method, meaning the duckling is gently pot-roasted in a covered pan, while a shallow spoon and dampened fine-mesh sieve replace the saucier and muslin. That service apparatus is brigade scaffolding. The Madeira in the liquor, complete degreasing, arrowroot finish, and cherries added at the last moment are the dish, and none of them can go. One cook, one stove, one evening.
When it reaches the table, the aiguillettes should wear only a thin gleam of sauce, with the dark Morello cherries still whole and tart around them. Skim every eye of fat before adding the arrowroot. That is the step that decides whether the sauce arrives clear and polished or dull and greasy.
Aiguillettes de Rouennais belong to Rouen in Normandy through the Rouen duck, a substantial bird raised around the Seine valley and prized for its richly flavored flesh. The grand kitchen carried that regional bird into formal service by cutting its just-cooked breasts lengthwise into aiguillettes and pairing them with concentrated cooking liquor, here sharpened by Madeira and sour Morello cherries. This is distinct from Rouen's pressed, blood-bound canard à la rouennaise, and the cherries are a classical sour-fruit counterpoint rather than a claim that they define the Norman larder.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
referenced Rouen duckling preparation
Quantity
1 home-scale preparation Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755), scaled to 1 duckling (about 4 lb / 1.8 kg)
complete through poëling, lengthwise slicing, and the brief reduction of the cooking liquor; stop before the Bigarrade finish
medium-dry Madeira
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g)
pitted Morello cherries
Quantity
1½ cups (8 oz / 225 g)
drained and patted dry
arrowroot
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g)
cold water
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g)
divided between the slurry and any necessary loosening
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| referenced Rouen duckling preparationcomplete through poëling, lengthwise slicing, and the brief reduction of the cooking liquor; stop before the Bigarrade finish | 1 home-scale preparation Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755), scaled to 1 duckling (about 4 lb / 1.8 kg) |
| medium-dry Madeira | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) |
| pitted Morello cherriesdrained and patted dry | 1½ cups (8 oz / 225 g) |
| arrowroot | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g) |
| cold waterdivided between the slurry and any necessary loosening | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Small shallow spoon for degreasing
- •Fine-mesh sieve and one layer of cheesecloth
- •Small saucepan
- •Warm oval platter and sauceboat
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the duckling
Follow Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755), scaled to one duckling, through its poëling, lengthwise slicing, and the brief boiling of the reserved cooking liquor with its veal gravy. Add the Madeira to the poëling liquor before the duckling cooks, as this entry directs, then stop before the Bigarrade finish. Use an instant-read thermometer rather than trusting a short clock: the thickest edible portion must reach 165°F (74°C), but take it no further. Arrange the sliced aiguillettes on a lukewarm platter and cover loosely while you finish the sauce.
A hot platter continues cooking the thin slices and dries their edges. Lukewarm is enough to hold them without undoing your careful timing. - 2
Clear the liquor
Pour the reduced cooking liquor into a narrow heatproof jug and let it stand for one minute, then skim away every visible pool and bead of fat with a shallow spoon. Return only the clear liquor to a small clean saucepan. If tiny droplets remain, draw the corner of a clean paper towel lightly across the surface without dipping it into the sauce. Do not whisk the grease back in. A clear sauce begins with patient skimming.
- 3
Thicken with arrowroot
Mix the arrowroot with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the cold water until perfectly smooth. Bring the degreased liquor to a gentle simmer, then whisk in half the slurry and wait twenty seconds before deciding whether it needs more. Add only enough to make the sauce cling in a thin, translucent film to the back of a spoon. Do not boil it hard once thickened, because arrowroot loses its clean body under prolonged heat. If the sauce becomes too thick, ça se rattrape: whisk in the remaining cold water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it clumps, strain it at once and return it to a clean pan.
Arrowroot works quickly and continues tightening for a moment after it enters the pan. Pause between additions. Patience, not another spoonful. - 4
Strain the sauce
Pass the sauce through a dampened fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, lining the sieve with one damp layer of cheesecloth if its mesh is coarse. This is the home equivalent of the book's muslin. Let the sauce pass under its own weight and do not press the solids through, or the clarity you worked for disappears.
- 5
Warm the cherries
Return the strained sauce to the gentlest heat and add the drained Morello cherries at the last possible moment. Roll the pan carefully for 45 to 60 seconds, just until the fruit is warmed and lacquered. Do not stir hard or let the sauce boil. If the skins begin splitting, lift the cherries out immediately and warm the sauce alone. The fruit must remain whole, with its shape and tart bite intact.
- 6
Sauce and serve
Lift the cherries from the sauce and arrange them generously around the aiguillettes. Spoon only a thin coating of the Madeira sauce over the duck, leaving the slices visible, then pour the remaining sauce into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately, exactly as the entry intends. Bring the platter straight to the table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Use jarred Morello cherries packed in water or light syrup when fresh sour cherries aren't in season. Drain them thoroughly, rinse only if the syrup is very sweet, and pat them dry. Cocktail cherries belong nowhere near this sauce.
- •Choose a medium-dry Madeira with enough acidity to meet the fruit. Salted cooking wine leaves the reduced liquor harsh, and reduction never improves a poor bottle.
- •The source judges a fair-sized bird by a short clock, but home ducklings vary too much for that confidence. Use a thermometer and take the thickest edible portion to 165°F (74°C). Technique first, always.
- •Serve with pommes Anna or simply buttered green beans, both quiet enough to leave the duck and cherries in command. A supple red Burgundy has the acidity for the fruit and the depth for the duck.
Advance Preparation
- •Up to 4 hours ahead, drain and pit the cherries if necessary, pat them dry, and keep them covered in the cold. Bring them toward room temperature for 30 minutes before they enter the sauce.
- •Measure the Madeira and arrowroot, prepare the sieve, and warm the platter shortly before cooking. Do not thicken the sauce or add the cherries ahead; repeated heating weakens the arrowroot and breaks the fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 175g)
Calories
405 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
12 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
90 mg
Sodium
850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
20 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Poultry (Volaille) - Ducks and Ducklings (Canards et Canetons)
Browse the full collection
Chef Juliette
Caneton d’Aylesbury Poëlé à la Menthe
A butter-poêled Aylesbury duckling, bronzed only after its covered roast, with mint inside and clear veal gravy brightened by lemon. The lesson is simple: poêlé means butter, a lid, and no added liquid.
Chef Juliette
Caneton Molière
Caneton Molière rebuilds a boned duckling around foie gras, pork, and two truffle rows, then poaches it in carcass stock before a glossy Madeira finish. The lesson is cold filling, even shaping, and gentle heat.
Chef Juliette
Caneton Braisé aux Navets
Caneton Braisé aux Navets turns one cocotte into a lesson in glazing: burnished duck, pearl onions, and turnips carried to light brown before they finish in a glossy classical sauce.