- A griddle or frying pan
- 2 pots
- Chopping board
- Colander
- A sharp knife
- A small baking dish
INGREDIENTS
- Duck Breasts
- 2 Duck Breasts with skin scored several times
- 2 tsp of dry thyme or 4 sprigs of fresh
- 1 star anise
- 25g of butter
- Salt and pepper
Plum Sauce
- 4 dark red plums de stoned and cut into wedges
- 300ml of beef stock
- 50ml of red wine
- 2 garlic cloves finely diced
- 3 tbsp of Demerara sugar
- 1 large shallot diced finely
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
METHOD
- Heat 1 tsbp of oil in a pan and fry the shallots for 3-4 mins
- Add the garlic and fry for 1 min
- Add the plums and sugar and fry until the sugar has dissolved
- Add the red wine and stock
- Simmer for 15 mins stirring occasionally until it has thickened
- Leave to cool to room temperature
- Heat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4
- Heat Griddle pan to medium/high
- Season duck breast and place on griddle pan skin side down
- Leave to cook for 5 mins
- Then turn the duck and add the butter, thyme and star anise
- Once butter has melted baste the duck a couple of times
- Transfer to a baking dish and put in the oven for 5-6 mins for medium rare
- Remove from oven and let rest on chopping board for 5 mins
- Heat some of the plum sauce and in the mean time slice the duck in thin slices
- Serve up and drizzle some of the butter and thyme sauce over duck
- Add 3 - 4 tbsp of the plum sauce
