Roast Duck Breast with a Cherry & Red Wine Sauce and a Roast Butternut Squash Puree

2 Duck breast

½ tsp Chinese 5 spice (optional)

Sauce

25 cherries fresh or frozen

1 shallot

1 tbsp oil (sunflower/vegetable/ rapeseed)

3 tbsp red wine

2 tsp honey

½ chicken stock pot + 100mls water

Butternut Squash Puree

1 large butternut squash

1 small tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp oil

125mls cream

125mls chicken stock (½ chicken stock cube)

 

 

1. Butternut Squash Puree: Preheat the oven to 180?. Peel the butternut squash. Toss on the cinnamon and oil. Coat well. Roast in the oven until tender. This will take about an hour. When cooked, remove from the oven to cool a little.

2. Warm the chicken stock and cream together.  Transfer 3/4 of the butternut squash into the food processor. Add in the warm cream and stock mixture. Blitz until smooth. Pass through a sieve until ultra smooth and velvety.

3. Cherry Sauce: Peel and finely dice a shallot. Heat up the oil in a small saucepan and over a very low heat allow the shallot to soften (without much colour) for about 6 minutes. De-stone all the cherries. Cut in half lengthways, remove one half, pop out the stone and cut the other half. When the shallots have softened add in the red wine and cherries and cook slowly to release the juices and soften the cherries. Pour in the honey and continue to stir. Add in the stock and simmer slowly until thick. Optional: add in star anise and allow this aromatic to gently flavour the sauce. Set aside. Reheat as needed.

4. Duck: Put the duck skin side down into a cold pan over medium heat. All this to come up toe temperature and render out the fat. Cook the duck breast for about 4 minutes on each side. Then transfer into an oven-proof dish and roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover and rest for 10 minutes. Any juices that escape, add them to the sauce.

5. To serve, add a dollop/quenelle of puree to the plate. Slice the duck on the diagonal. Sit this on top. Add some of the leftover roast butternut squash cubes. Spoon the sauce over the top. Serve with crispy sautéed potatoes and a garnish of fresh herbs.