Prepare the duck the night before you plan to make this dish.
4 duck breasts (1 per person)
With a small sharp knife remove the duck fillet and any sinew from the underside of the duck breast. Rinse in cold water then pat dry.
Leave the duck breast on a tray in the fridge overnight un-covered skin side up. This will dry the skin out and make scoring the skin a lot easier.
For the orange and mustard glaze:
150g freshly squeezed orange juice
150g brown sugar
75g English mustard
Zest of 1 orange
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a simmer then strain through a sieve.
For the parsnip puree:
4 medium sized parsnips
1 tablespoon butter
Approximately 500ml milk
A pinch of salt
Peel and cut the parsnips into quarters length ways. Cut the hard core out and discard it.
Cut the remaining parsnip into small even sized pieces.
Put the parsnip into a pot and add enough milk just to cover with milk and a few tablespoons of water. Season with salt.
Bring to the boil and cook until the parsnip is tender.
Strain reserving the liquid. Put the parsnip into a blender with just enough of the cooking liquid to get the machine blending, add a tablespoon of butter and some salt. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning then pass the pure through a fine sieve.
For the duck:
Score the skin of the duck breast in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife being careful not to cut all the way through to the flesh. This will allow the fat to render out when you cook it.
For the beans:
320g (80g per person)
3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
Trim the top of the beans off with a small knife leaving the bottom on for a nice presentation. Cook in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Then cool down quickly in either ice water or cold running water. Dry and set aside.
To finish the dish:
Reheat the parsnip puree over a low heat in a small pot. Stir occasionally until hot then put to one side.
Heat a non-stick pan on medium for a few minutes without any oil. When the pan just begins to smoke add a teaspoon of canola oil and roll it around the pan. Season the duck on both sides with salt then add the duck breast skin-side down and cook over a medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. As the duck cooks fat will render out of the skin, carefully drain this off as necessary and reserve it for another use (potatoes). When the skin is a golden brown colour flip it over and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the flesh side. When the duck is cooked to medium rare (firm but still springy) add two tablespoons of the orange-mustard glaze to the pan and reduce it over a high heat until it is syrupy and coats the duck breast nicely. Roll the duck around in the glaze then take it out and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
In a large frying pan add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook until a light golden brown colour then add the blanched green beans and stir around in the butter for 2-3 minutes to reheat. Sprinkle over some chopped hazelnuts.
To serve:
Cut the duck breast in half length-ways and place on the plate, spoon some of the parsnip puree next to it and add a small pile of the beans and hazelnuts. Spoon some of the brown butter over the duck breast to finish.
-- LOGAN CLARK, HEAD CHEF - BRACU
