Duck Breast with Chanterelles, Black Pudding and Pickled Cherries

Method

1. Crush the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, coriander, fennel seeds and juniper coarsely in the mortar.
2. Score the duck skin in a criss-cross every 1 cm, cutting through the fat but not into the meat.
3. Rub the breasts with the olive oil, crushed spices, garlic, thyme and orange peel, put them in the dish or bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. For the pickle, simmer the water, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, peppercorns and nutmeg in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.
5. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vinegar and olive oil and let the liquid cool completely.
6. Put the halved cherries in the jar, pour over the cooled liquid so they are covered and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
7. For the cherry sauce, blend the 300 g cherries until smooth.
8. Simmer the purée with the sugar and kirsch in a small saucepan for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until it is as thick as ketchup.
9. Press the sauce through the sieve, let it cool and spoon it into the squeeze bottle.
10. For the gastrique, melt the 50 g sugar in a dry saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan, for 4–5 minutes, until it is a medium amber caramel.
11. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the vinegar; it will spit, so stand back.
12. Stir over low heat until the caramel has dissolved.
13. Add the port and stock and boil for 12–15 minutes, until reduced to about 120 ml and lightly syrupy.
14. Add the thyme, leave it to infuse off the heat for 5 minutes, then remove it.
15. Take the duck out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, scrape off all the spices, garlic and peel, pat it dry and season it with salt.
16. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
17. Lay the breasts skin-side down in the cold ovenproof pan and set it over medium-low heat.
18. Cook for 10–12 minutes, pouring off the fat as it collects, until the skin is thin, crisp and deep golden.
19. Turn the breasts, sear the flesh side for 1 minute, then put the pan in the oven for 3–5 minutes, until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 54–57°C (129–135°F) for pink duck.
20. Rest the duck skin-side up on a board for 8 minutes.
21. While it rests, fry the black pudding in the dry non-stick pan over medium heat for 2 minutes per side, until crisp outside and hot through.
22. Melt the 20 g butter in the second frying pan over high heat and fry the chanterelles for 3–4 minutes, until golden; season with salt.
23. Warm the gastrique, whisk in the cold butter and season with salt; if it tastes too sweet, add a few drops of vinegar.
24. Lift the cherries out of the pickle with a slotted spoon.
25. Arrange the mushrooms, pickled cherries and black pudding on warm plates.
26. Slice the duck and lay the slices on top.
27. Pipe small dots of cherry sauce around each plate.
28. Spoon a little gastrique over the duck and serve the rest on the side.

1. First of all, marinate the duck breasts.
2. In addition, you will have lots of to do, so the duck imbued with sauce well.
3. Prepare all ingredients and then:
4. Pan sear on the skin side to render the fat.
5. Saute the chanterelles gris with butter.
6. Pan sear the black pudding and heat in a 200C oven for 5min.
7. Arrange the mushrooms, pickled cherries, and black pudding on the plate
8. Slice the duck breast and arrange on top as a real queen of the meal.
9. Now a little art. Squeeze some dots of cherry gel around the plate. Creatively, trusting inner feeling of beautiful.
10. Spoon a little cherry gastrique and duck jus.
11. For sauce gastrique:
12. Make a semi dark dry caramel in a deep sauce pot; deglaze with red wine vinegar.
13. Add port wine and dissolve caramel.
14. Add duck sauce or fortified chicken jus
15. Infuse with fresh thyme.
16. Add the melted butter, to adjust acidity level.
17. For cherry gem:
18. Boil the AGAR in the water for 3 min until no taste of AGAR remains.
19. Add remaining ingredients and combine over medium heat for 1min.
20. Pour onto a tray and allow to set in the refrigerator for 2hrs.
21. Cut the jelly into small cubes and blend.
22. Add water if needed, to assist in blending until completlely smooth.
23. Pass through a tamis and reserve in asqueezie bottle.
24. For black pudding:
25. Saute the pork fat, shallot, and garlic until soft.
26. Add sourdough and allow to cool.
27. Combine all ingredients together and pour into a hotel pan lined with cling film.
28. Steam at 85C for 35min.
29. Fresh a little and cool.
30. Cut into desired shapes (even into small hearts).
31. For pickled cherries:
32. Simmer the water, sugar, salt, and all spices for 15min.
33. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.
34. Cool
35. Halve 1kg fresh cherries and remove the pits.
36. Place in vacuum bags with the pickling juice and vacuum seal
37. Refrigerate for 24hrs.

The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.