Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Blackberry-Thyme Sauce and Roasted Radishes

Ingredients

1. 2 piece duck breasts, skin on (about 350 g in total)
2. 4 g fine sea salt
3. 0.5 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
4. 200 g organic radishes, halved
5. 1 tbsp rendered duck fat, from the pan
6. 15 g organic shallot, finely chopped
7. 60 g organic blackberries
8. 3 piece sprigs thyme, plus a few leaves to finish
9. 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
10. 120 ml organic chicken or duck stock
11. 15 g cold organic butter, diced, to finish the sauce

Step-by-step method

1. Score and season. Pat the duck breasts very dry. With a sharp knife, score the skin in a tight crosshatch about 5 mm apart, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Season both sides with the salt and pepper and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Render from cold. Lay the breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry heavy pan, then set it over medium-low heat. Let the fat melt out slowly, spooning it into a heatproof bowl as it pools, until the skin is thin, deep amber and crisp, about 8 minutes. Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F (fan 180 °C).
3. Roast the radishes. Toss the halved radishes with a tablespoon of the rendered duck fat and a pinch of salt. Spread them cut-side down on a tray and roast until golden at the edges and just tender, 18–20 minutes.
4. Flip and rest. Turn the breasts and cook the flesh side for 3 minutes, until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 54 °C / 129 °F for pink. Rest skin-up on a warm board, loosely covered, for 8 minutes.
5. Start the sauce. Pour off all but a teaspoon of fat. Soften the shallot over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, then add the blackberries and thyme sprigs, crushing a few berries with a spoon. Deglaze with the vinegar, scraping up the browned bits.
6. Reduce and mount. Add the stock and simmer briskly until reduced by about half and lightly syrupy, 4–5 minutes. Lift out the thyme stalks. Off the heat, swirl in the cold butter a piece at a time to a glossy, deep-purple sauce; season.
7. Slice and plate. Slice each breast on the diagonal into thick slices to show the rosy centre. Fan over warm plates with the roasted radishes alongside, spoon the blackberry sauce around and scatter a few thyme leaves.

Variations

• Weigh substitutions and recalculate nutrition before serving.

Storage

Best served fresh. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container and use within two days.

Questions and answers