Crispy Skin Duck Breast

Ingredients

Shallots

8 x shallots
75g sugar
250g balsamic vinegar
25g red wine
50g water
50g duck stock (optional – if you wish to make your own)
pinch of salt

Persimmon

1 x persimmon
juice of 1 orange
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
few drops of lemon juice

Spelt

120g spelt
1 large brown onion
extra virgin olive oil
chicken stock

Duck

4 x duck breasts (skin on)

Method

Shallots

Bring all ingredients minus the shallots to the boil.

In a baking tray, place the shallots and cover with liquid mixture (ensure all shallots are submerged)

Cover with foil and place in 180°C oven for 40 minutes or until shallots are soft and tender.

Persimmon

Blend the persimmon with sugar, salt, orange juice and a few drops of lemon to avoid oxidation.

Spelt

Chop onions and sweat in a heavy based pan with olive oil until they become pale or transparent – do not brown them.

Add the washed spelt to the onion mixture.

Add enough chicken stock to cover spelt, as it evaporates, add a few more ladles to cover again, repeat until spelt is cooked through (around 25 min).

Duck

Place duck skin side down on a heavy based fry pan.

Place pan over low heat and slowly cook the duck, leave on heat until the top of the duck breast changes colour (5-7 minutes).

Turn duck over and keep on heat for no more than one minute.

Place duck on a wire rack (skin side up) and allow to rest for around 10 minutes.

Before you serve return the duck to a hot fry pan (skin side down) for a very short time – just to crisp up the skin.

To serve

Place the duck on a bed of spelt. Smear a line of the shallot just alongside the duck and spelt, place 2 shallots on the smear.

In front of the duck and spelt, put a dollop of the persimmon mixture.

Recipe provided by Ormeggio at The Spit