Toni Michael Chef
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№ 001 · Sauce · 15 min · serves 2

Savory Blueberry Glaze

I first made this for a duck breast meal after a poultry class at Well Done. At class, one of the things made was crispy skin duck breast with a honeyed red wine glaze that was pretty sweet and then as I was falling asleep, I couldn't get "duck and blueberries" out of my brain. So the next day, I placed a pick-up order at H-E-B for all the things I'd need and made it for the BF and me - it was amazing! That first time, I used the fat from the duck skin instead of pancetta to make the glaze. The second time, I used store bought duck fat instead of the pancetta and used it as a glaze for some braised short ribs. This is one of my go-to glazes for both savory dishes and desserts; however, if I'm using it for dessert, I skip the meat fat, shallot, and garlic, but balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper stick around to add depth.

— Toni · 21 July · 2026
Ingredients
  • 4 oz pancetta, diced*
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • *Pancetta is optional here. If you're making this with duck or beef, render the fat from the meat and cook with that fat instead. You can also skip meat fat and opt for a tablespoon of neutral, high smoke point oil.

Method

  1. 01 In a small pan, add the pancetta to a cold pan* and turn heat to medium
  2. 02 Allow to come to temp gently, stirring occasionally to keep from burning/sticking
  3. 03 Once pancetta is cooked, remove the pancetta and set aside, but leave the rendered fat
  4. 04 Add the shallot to the pan and cook in the pancetta fat over medium heat until translucent, about 2 minutes
  5. 05 Add the garlic to the pan and cook to fragrant, about 30 seconds
  6. 06 Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits
  7. 07 Add the blueberries and honey; continue to cook until blueberries are easily mashed and the glaze is heated through
  8. 08 Remove from heat; re-add the cooked pancetta, plus the lemon & salt/pepper to taste
  9. 09 Stir in 1 tbsp of butter to add a nice shine to the glaze *Starting high-fat proteins in a cold pan to bring to temp gently will render out more fat from the protein over starting it in an already hot pan; I often use this trick to render out some fat to use for cooking the rest of the ingredients in the dish instead of a neutral, high smoke point oil like avocado or grapeseed.
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