This past weekend some friends of mine, my parents, and I went down to my favorite little spot in Texas. When my mom was in high school my grandparents bought and fixed up a house down on the bay. Since then it has been a cherished place in my family and I have countless memories of family, friends in high school and college enjoying our time on the bay and the memories just keep coming. 

 

The bay in 1973, when my grandparents bought it.

 

This was taken this past weekend. There is so much to do at the bay, we wakeboard and ski, tube, hang out on the beach, drink many adult beverages, and this past weekend we did some fishing and duck hunting.

After spending an afternoon hanging out on the beach, the guys decided it was time for duck hunting. There is a lot that goes into duck hunting at the bay, you have to scout out a good spot, set up decoys and blinds and wait and wait and wait for the birds to fly. I had never been duck hunting and neither had my two girlfriends, so with lots of convincing that we wouldn’t get in the way the boys agreed to let us tag along (something I think they now regret!) So we(the boys) packed up the gear and we were off in the boat to find a spot to do some hunting.

 

Here’s Brit and me in our blind! Let me tell you, it was muddy! We were sinking in the mud left and right, falling all over each other and making quite a mess while the boys were trying to set up. The most skeptical about this hunting extravaganza was my friend, Meghan. Her husband assured her that she would be fine, and wouldn’t get that dirty.

 

He was wrong…

Once we all got situated it wasn’t long until we were laying down and the boys were getting all set to shoot.

 

Brittani’s husband John and their new baby, Pipin!

 

Eric’s all ready…

The boys shot 4 ducks real quickly, so we decided to pack it up and go back to the house for some happy hour, a staple at the bay. Many beverages were consumed before we decided to start cooking dinner. We decided we should grill up the ducks that the boys shot in addition to the delicious pork tenderloin that was already planned. By this point we were having so much fun that no more pictures were taken, maybe next time. Blame it on the al al al al alcohol.

Although I didn’t take any pictures, I do want to share this amazing Sautéed Duck breast with Cherry Glaze for your next duck hunt!

For the duck: score the skin of the duck breast, be careful not to cut into the flesh. Then season the duck breast with S&P and carefully place the breast skin side down in a pan, medium to low heat to render and crisp the fatty skin. You won’t need any extra oil, as the fat from the skin works great. Baste the duck with its own fat, cooking slowly until internal temp is 130-135. Flip over about 1 minute before its done.

For the sauce: you’ll need 1/4 cup dried cherries, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp water, S&P, 6 oz veal or duck stock(you can also use water). In a dry sauté pan add sugar and water to moisten, heat and wait for most of the water to evaporate. Once it’s at an amber color add the red wine vinegar and give it a swirl. Add the cherries and let it reduce a touch. Add the stock and let it reduce to a syrup consistency.

Slice up your breast and serve with the sauce and any sides you fancy!

I had such a blast this weekend and can’t wait to go back. I hope you had a great weekend too, happy eating!