Ingredients
- 2 Duck Breasts
- A sprig of thyme
- A sprig of rosemary
- One star aniseed
- 30grams butter
- For the Plum and apple sauce:
- One shallot, finely diced
- One tablespoon of grapeseed oil
- 150 grams of plums, halved, stoned and cut into wedges
- One sweet apple, example Pink Lady, cored, peeled and diced
- 50 grams of dark brown sugar, example, demerrera
- 50ml of red wine
- 300ml of chicken stock
- Seasalt and ground black pepper
Method
Sauce: Sweat off shallots in oil, until softened but not coloured.
Add plums, apple and brown sugar. Cook until sugar has dissolved.
Add red wine and chicken stock. Add star aniseed.
Reduce all until it becomes a glaze.
Cooking of duck breast: Have oven preheated to 180C/ 160C fan.
Meanwhile, season your duck breast with salt and pepper.
In non- stick cold frying pan, place duck breast, at medium heat, with skin side down. You are caramelising the skin.
This may take seven or eight minutes, until your skin becomes crispy and golden brown.
When satisfied your skin is a nice colour, add butter, hard herbs, thyme and rosemary, and star aniseed.
Turn the breast over, baste with butter, transfer to roasting dish, finish in the oven, at 180C, five to six minutes for pink, which I recommend, and ten to twelve minutes for well done.
Tip: Before carving or serving, let the duck breast sit for ten minutes to rest.
Suggested serving, with fondant potatoes and buttered green beans.
