In textbooks it is known as Canard Montmorency, not in homage to the dog in Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat but in recognition of the excellent cherries from the town of that name. Montmorency, like its neighbour Argenteuil, once famed for its asparagus, has long been subsumed into the northern suburbs of Paris, and its cherries are as distant a memory as the dish to which it gave its name. Happily the variety has travelled well and is much grown in the USA and Canada. Although bright red, they are surprisingly tart and it is the sweet and sour element that gives the fruit its especial affinity with the richness of the roast duck. Should this sort of cherry not be available, a cook with low cunning can compensate satisfactorily with a judicious splash of vinegar.
