Dry-Aged Duck Breast, Blackberries, Rainbow Chard and Citrus Jus - Chef Recipe by Sam Moore

Ingredients

4 whole duck

Pickled blackberries:

24 blackberries
100mL white balsamic vinegar
50mL water
40 g caster sugar
1 bay leaf
5 peppercorns, crushed
5 juniper berries, crushed

Rainbow chard:

8 stalks rainbow chard
50 g unsalted butter
1L vegetable stock
5 g salt

Citrus jus:

200 g duck wings, tips and necks (from whole ducks)
100 g shallots, sliced
50 g garlic cloves, peeled
100 g fennel, sliced
200mL white wine
1L chicken stock
1L veal stock
20 g peppercorns
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 strips orange peel
1/2 lime

Beurre noisette:

150 g unsalted butter

Method

For the duck breast, carve off the legs (use them another time), the wing tips and two-thirds of the necks (set aside for the jus) from the ducks. Remove all internal organs and clean very well to prepare for dry aging. Dry overnight in the fridge unwrapped.

Carve off the breasts and set them aside.

Heat a large saucepan with a little oil over medium heat for the citrus jus. Sear the duck necks and wings until caramelised. Drain off rendered fat. Add shallots, garlic and fennel and sauté until caramelised. Add white wine and reduce until a quarter is left. Add chicken stock, veal stock, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and orange peel, then reduce to sauce consistency. Finish with lime juice right before serving.

For the pickled blackberries, simmer vinegar, water and caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and then cool for five minutes. Pour the warm pickling liquid over the blackberries, pickle for 20 minutes then drain.

For the rainbow chard, boil the vegetable stock with butter and salt. Wash and trim the chard keeping the long colourful stalks. Just before serving, blanch the stalks for 1 minute.

For the beurre noisette, heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and cook until it turns golden brown while whisking to prevent burning. Take off the heat and pour it into another container.

To finish the dish, seal the duck breast skin on a cold pan over medium-low heat until the skin is crispy, draining off the rendered fat occasionally. Turn skin-side up and finish in the oven at 200 C for two to three minutes. Once the duck is cooked and rested for five minutes, brush with beurre noisette before serving.

Recipe provided by Atelier By Sofitel