Honey roast duck with girolle fricasse
This roast duck dish makes the most of summer vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2kg/4lb 8oz duck, legs removed, breast on the crown
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
- 250g/9oz fresh girolles
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 50ml/2fl oz olive oil
- 4 courgettes with flowers, thinly sliced, flowers separated
- 300g/10½oz podded fresh peas
- 2 tbsp duck jus
- 4 apricots, destoned and cut into wedges
- handful fresh almonds, shelled
- 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
- 1 tbsp finely chopped chervil
- 8 lemon verbena leaves
- pea shoots, to serve
- drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- fleur de sel, to serve
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8.
Rub the duck breast with the honey and season with the fennel seeds, black pepper and salt. Roast in the oven for 14–16 minutes, then set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
Heat a frying pan and add the butter. Once foaming, add the girolles and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with a splash of vinegar then remove from the heat and set aside.
In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the courgettes until golden-brown. Add the apricots and the peas, then the cooked girolles. Add a couple of tablespoons of the jus and cook the fricassé for a minute. Add 20g/¾oz butter to the pan gradually, until emulsified.
Add the herbs and lemon verbena leaves. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of cider vinegar.
Place the courgette flowers in a bowl and cover with cling film. Place in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until crisp.
Divide the fricassé between four plates and top with slices of duck. Scatter over the fresh almonds and pea shoots, sprinkle with fleur de sel and the courgette flowers, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.