Roast Duck Crown with Duck Crousillant & Red Wine Jus

With subtle variances is sweetness, this duck recipe has all the texture and flavour needed to impress any guest. You can confit the duck legs yourself, but if you’re strapped for time you can buy good quality confit from your local supermarket. Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com.

Servings
Serves: 2
Prep
15 mins
Cook
80 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 large Gressingham duck
  • sunflower oil
  • salt

Garnish

  • 1 pinch of caster sugar
  • 1 peach
  • 30g of butter, melted
  • 2 bok choi, 12 leaves only

Croustillants

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • sunflower oil, for deep frying
  • 4 pack filo pastry sheets
  • 0.5 tsp of quatre epice

Turnips

  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 15g of butter
  • 60ml of water, hot
  • 100ml of orange juice
  • 2 turnips, small
  • 0.5 tsp of quatre epice

Confit

  • 800g of duck fat
  • 2 garlic cloves, bruised
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme

Red wine sauce

  • 50g of shallots, sliced
  • 500ml of beef stock
  • 50g of button mushrooms, slice
  • 50g of butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 200ml of red wine
  • 1 pinch of white peppercorns, crushed
  • 1 pinch of lavender

Method

  1. If choosing to do the confit yourself, remove the legs from the duck, season generously with salt and leave overnight for a minimum of 12 hours. Leave the breasts on the bone and lightly score the fat with a sharp knife. Leave in the fridge until required.
  2. Melt the duck fat in a pan with garlic and thyme. Brush the salt off the duck legs and place into the duck fat and place into a preheated oven at 95°C for 3 hours. Remove the legs from the fat and allow to cool until warm. Remove the legs from fat, pick away the meat from the bone and discard the skin and bone.
  3. Shred the duck meat and mix with the quatre epice to form the filling for the filo pastry. Form 4 cigar shapes about 6cm long and 1cm thick and set aside. Cut the filo sheets into rectangles 10 x 7cm. Brush each one lightly with the beaten egg, place in the filling and roll up tightly to hold the filling and for and croustillant. Store in the fridge until required.
  4. To cook the turnips, peel and trim into 4 discs. Use a pastry cutter to neaten up the edges into a circle. Cook the turnip in salted boiling water until tender, but still firm. Refresh in iced water and drain. Heat the sugar in a deep pan over a medium flame until a golden caramel forms. Add the water slowly and take care as it will spit from the pan. Stir to dissolve the caramel and add the spice and orange juice
  5. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until syrupy and then stir in the butter. Add the turnips, season with a little salt and pepper and heat through before serving. Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 7. Remove the duck crown from the fridge and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
  6. Brush the duck with sunflower oil, season with salt and roast for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  7. To make the red wine sauce, heat a little sunflower oil in a medium pan. Sauté off the shallots, garlic and mushrooms until soft and lightly golden. Add the red wine and reduce by 2/3, then add the beef stock, lavender and thyme. Simmer and reduce by half, strain and whisk in the butter to serve.
  8. Cut the peach into wedges and brush with a little butter and a sprinkle of sugar. Lightly grill to warm through. Remove the duck breast from the bone and warm through in the often for 1-2 minutes. Heat a deep fryer to 180°C and cook the duck croustillant until golden. Remove from the oil, drain and season with saltDeep fat fryer substitution.
  9. Heat the remainder of the melted butter in a pan over a medium heat and sauté the bok choi until just softened. Remove from and pan and drain off any excess liquid. Slice the duck breast into 2, placing the peach, bok choi, duck croustillant and turnip around. Finish with drizzle of the red wine sauce.

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Our Story

The Gressingham duck is a unique breed that first came about when the small but flavourful wild Mallard was crossed with the larger Pekin duck giving a meaty, succulent duck with more breast meat, less fat and a rich gamey flavour.