Roast Duck Breasts - A Beautiful Romantic Dinner

I'm sure that I am right in believing that in every family there are certain recipes that you associate with particular people. Whether it is their favourite food, or something that they cooked for you, there are definitely meals that are very evocative of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, or others in your life. In my family, this recipe is widely referred to as Dave's Duck, because it was my brother Dave that introduced it to us all. While the duck is pretty simple to make, it is extremely delicious, and certainly has a bit of a "wow" factor attached. Because this recipe calls for only duck breasts, it is also a lot easier than cooking a whole duck, and it certainly plates up beautifully.

Enjoying a relatively peaceful weekend, Dave's Duck with a nice glass of pinot noir seemed a perfect way to spend Saturday evening. The usual vegetable served with the duck is a sweet potato mash, with rocket leaves stirred in and allowed to wilt. Because our Barefoot Bloggers challenge for this week was a risotto cake (recipe tomorrow), I used that as a side dish instead of the mash, but also served a rocket salad on the side. And my only tip is not to overcook the duck - it is much better served pink and tender. (Incidentally, if you want to prepare this for a dinner party, you can brown the duck breasts in the pan before your guests arrive, and finish off in the oven in the 10 minutes or so before you want to serve it). The recipe comes from a 1998 Australian Gourmet Traveller cookbook called "Gourmet On The Run"; sadly I can't find a reference to it in any of the usual cookbook shops. PS Dave - we miss you!

Roasted Duck Breast With Orange Sauce

adapted from "Gourmet: On The Run" edited by Carolyn Lockhart

4 duck breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbl soy sauce
2 tbl honey
Juice of 2 oranges
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 tsps brandy
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped

Marinate 4 duck breasts in 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbls soy sauce and 2 tbl honey for 1 hour. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium to high heat and brown duck well. Transfer duck to a roasting pan and roast skin-side up at 200C for 10-15 mins for duck that is tender but still pink.

Meanwhile combine orange juice, 1 tbl soy sauce, chicken stock, brandy, and vegetables, in a small saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced by half. Serve duck with sauce poured over it.

BBQ Duck Salad For A Hot Weekend

The October long weekend always feels to me like an aperitif for summer. Most often it is the beginning of lovely warm weather before summer gets really hot. The days feel languid, the jasmine is out, and the kids have already started racing around barefoot. A chance to kick back for a few days and take it easy before we dive headlong into the frantic dash towards Christmas.

This salad is a delicious option for a hot lazy day. Spare yourself the oven time and get a cooked duck from your local Chinese BBQ shop (or order one from a local Chinese restaurant). Tinned lychees (drained) are a nice addition to this salad as well. If you are up early and feel like it, make the chilli and capsicum jam dressing, or you can make it ahead and keep in the fridge. If not, get some plum sauce from the Chinese barbecue duck shop and put it into a basic vinaigrette (white wine vinegar and oil) for a little bit of spice and sweetness for the duck. Make sure you get the shop to chop your duck for you as well - days like these are not to be wasted with poultry shears and a cleaver!

BBQ Duck Salad with Chilli and Capsicum Jam Dressing

adapted from Notebook Magazine Feb 2007

2 lebanese cucumbers shaved into long strips with a vegetable peeler, seeds discarded

4 cups torn lettuce (I used cos but whatever you have is OK)

1 generous handful mint leaves

1 generous handful coriander leaves

2 finely shredded kaffir lime leaves

1 Chinese BBQ duck, chopped

Garnish - garlic chives

Chilli and Capsicum Jam

2 red capsicums quartered and seeded

4 shallots finely chopped

1 ripe tomoato finely chopped

1 tbs finely chopped ginger

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tbs rice wine vinegar (available at Asian grocery stores)

1/2 cup grated palm sugar

4 long fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tbs fish sauce

For the chilli and capsicum jam, preheat grill on high. Cook capsicums skin side up until they are blackened and blistered. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, caover with foil, and set aside for 5 minutes. Once cooled a little, remove the skin (this should come off easily) and chop finely.

Combine capsicum, shallot, tomato, ginger, garlic, vinegar, palm sugar and chilli, and cook over medium low heat for 20 mins or until thick and syrupy, with mushy vegetables. Remove from the heat and add lime juice and fish sauce. The jam should have the classic Thai balance of sweet, sour, hot and salty flavours. If you feel it is too chunky, give it a quick whiz with an immersion / stab blender.

Combine cucumber, lettuce and herbs in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the jam and toss gently. Place on a serving platter, topped with the duck. Drizzle this dish with a little more chilli jam. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves or garlic chives and serve.