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Roast duck with honey, orange, lemon and port
INGREDIENTS
For the duck
A 2kg duck
1 orange, cut in to 2cm pieces
1 lemon, cut into 2cm pieces
75g honey
75ml port
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Sea salt
For the Savoy cabbage
1 Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp carrot, finely chopped
1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp celery, finely chopped
150g vacuum-packed peeled cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
500ml chicken stock
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160C (180C non-fan). Take out the giblets from the duck and place in a separate tray with the chopped leek, carrot, celery and parsley stalks. Place in the bottom of the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Once cooked, pour into a saucepan add 1 litre of water and reduce on the stove so you only have half the liquid. Keep to one side.
In a medium size bowl, mix together the chopped lemon and orange and thyme branches, filling up the duck cavity with them. Take a roasting tray and put a wire rack that fits inside. Place the duck in the middle of the roasting rack. Take some tin foil and rub olive oil on the inside of the tin foil – this is to stop the duck skin sticking to the tin foil. Cover the duck so there are no gaps, then place in a pre-heated oven and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the tin foil and pour out all the excess juice and keep to one side (there will be a lot of duck fat in this juice).
Take a serrated knife and run the knife all over the duck, to release the fat deposits that are on the surface. Dab the duck with some kitchen towel so the surface dries, then using a pastry brush, brush the honey on all sides, place back in the oven and cook for a further hour.
While the duck is cooking, make the sauce by skimming off the fat from the duck cooking liquid. Finely chop two shallots and soften with 50g butter and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the port and reduce by half, then add 25g honey, the skimmed duck juice and the roasted giblet stock. Cook on a medium heat until the liquid has reduced to about 150ml, skimming off any excess fat and keep to one side.
Blanch the Savoy cabbage in a saucepan of boiling salted water for about 7 minutes until tender; drain well. Heat the remaining oil in the empty pan and briefly fry the garlic. Add the chopped vegetables and chestnuts and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the cabbage and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 10–15 minutes until the stock has reduced and the cabbage becomes slightly caramelised. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the duck from the oven and carve off the legs and breasts. Cut into 2cm pieces and place on a nice serving dish, pour over half of the sauce and serve the rest on the side.
Theo Randall at the InterContinental
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7318 8747
Email: TheoRandall.Reception@ihg.com
InterContinental London Park Lane - One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7QY London