Neven's breast of duck with sweet potato fondants, creamed cabbage, honey & ginger sauce
Ingredients
This can be made up to 12 hours in advance, then cooled and kept covered with clingfilm in a bowl in the fridge until needed. Place in a pan and reheat gently, stirring occasionally.
Serves 4
- 4 x 275g (10oz) duck breasts, well trimmed
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 8 sweet potato fondants
- Spinach purée, to serve
- Sweet potato purée, to serve
- Honey and clove sauce, to serve
Honey & clove sauce
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 225ml (8fl oz) beef stock
Creamed savoy cabbage
Serves: 4–6
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 100g (4oz) carrot, finely diced
- 75g (3oz) celeriac, finely diced
- 2 tbsp softened butter
- 350g (12oz) Savoy cabbage, tough stalks removed and finely sliced
- 200ml (7fl oz) cream
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sweet Potato Fondants
Makes: 4
- 2 sweet potatoes, each at least 8cm (3in) long and 4cm (1 1/2in) across
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 300ml (1/2 pint) chicken/vegetable stock
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6)
- Score the fat on the duck in a criss-cross pattern. Season the duck on both sides with the cracked black pepper and salt
- Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium to high heat and add the duck breasts, skin side down. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the skin is nicely golden and crisp
- Turn the duck breasts over and cook for another minute, then transfer to an oven proof dish, place in the oven and cook for 8 minutes for a pink finish or 10 minutes for well done. Leave to rest covered in tinfoil
Honey & clove sauce
- Place the honey in a small pan with the soy, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, cloves and stock.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened to a sauce consistency which coats the back of a spoon.
- Season to taste, then pass through a sieve, discarding the cloves into a clean pan. Reheat gently and use as required.
Creamed savoy cabbage
- Heat a pan over a medium heat
- Add the oil & butter to the pan
- Gently sweat the carrot and celeriac for 3–4 minutes
- Tip in the cabbage and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted
- Pour in the cream, stirring to combine
- Allow to simmer and reduce until slightly thickened
- Season to taste
Sweet Potato Fondants
- Peel the sweet potatoes & cut each one into 2cm (3/4in) slices, then use a straight-sided cutter to stamp out 8 x 4cm (1 ½ in) rounds
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the butter and oil. Add the sweet potato discs and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, until golden
- Add in the thyme sprigs
- Season to taste and pour in enough stock to come three-quarters of the way up the sweet potatoes
- Bring to the boil & the reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes without moving the potatoes, until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife
