Sweet spiced duck breast with beetroot and ginger relish
The sweet, sharp and hot relish that accompanies this duck is so good that I've deliberately doubled the quantity so you have some left over. It makes a spectacular condiment to meats, cheese and oily fish, and will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Similar to chutney, it is just the sort of thing you want to have around the house over the Christmas period. Serve it warm with cooked dishes and at room temperature with cheese and cold cuts. Use a mandolin to get the thinnest slices of beetroot possible, and use a spice grinder to grind the star anise (or crush it with a pestle and mortar and pass through a fine sieve). The duck serves four.
4 duck breasts, 800g in total
1 tsp ground star anise
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp sunflower oil
Salt and black pepper
For the beetroot relish
6 medium beetroots, peeled and sliced 1mm thick
300ml red-wine vinegar
200g caster sugar
1 tsp flaked chilli, or more if you like it spicy
15g peeled ginger, finely grated
1 tsp black mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra forgarnish
2 bay leaves
6 Sichuan peppercorns
Score the duck breasts in three or four parallel lines on an angle across the skin, taking care not to cut through to the meat. Place them in a medium-sized bowl and add the star anise, cloves and oil. Rub the spices into the duck so the breasts are well covered, cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour ortwo.
Meanwhile, make the relish. Mixall the ingredients in a large saucepan and add a teaspoon and a half of salt. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beetroot becomes tender, the liquid thick and all but reduced entirely. Remove from the heat and set aside somewhere warm.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6, and heat a large, heavy-based frying pan on medium heat. Add half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of black pepper to the duck breast bowl and mix well. Place the breasts skin side down into the hot pan – you won't need any oil because of the amount of fat in the duck skin – and cook for four to five minutes, regularly spooning out the fat that's released into the pan. If the skin is getting too dark too quick, lower the heat a little.
Once the skin is a dark golden-brown and crisp, turn over the breasts and sear on the flesh side for three minutes.
Transfer the breasts to a baking tray and finish cooking in the oven for about three minutes, until cooked to medium. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for five minutes.
To serve, slice the breasts on an angle and lay on a plate. Spoon some beetroot relish on to each breast andpour over a little of thesyrup. Scatter a few thyme leaves on top and serve immediately.
Fancy coleslaw
After a bit of shredding and chopping, you'll have a refreshing bowlful of fresh vegetables – the ideal antidote to all the fat, carb and general debauchery of the holidays. I can eat tonnes of this stuff. To save time, use a food processor to slice the vegetables: though the end result will not be quite as beautiful, it will be just as delicious. Likewise, to save time, any toasted nuts can beused to replace the spiced cashews, but if you do make them, double or triple the amount stipulated in the recipe because they make a great nibble to serve with drinks. Serves four.
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
1 medium fennel, trimmed and shredded 3mm thick
4 tbsp lemon juice
½ savoy cabbage, shredded 3mm thick
1 large radicchio, shredded 3mm thick
1 small red pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
100g Greek yoghurt
40g mayonnaise
1½ tsp dijon mustard
1½ tsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
30g parsley, chopped
20g dill, chopped
10g tarragon, chopped
Salt and white pepper
For the spiced cashews
120g cashew nuts, roughly chopped (or other toasted nuts)
¾ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground paprika
¾ tsp caster sugar
Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 2½. In a large bowl, mix the carrots, fennel and two tablespoons of the lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes, drain in a sieve over the sink and leave to strain.
For the spiced nuts, place in a small bowl the cashews, turmeric, cumin, paprika, sugar and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Stir through a tablespoon of water so the spices cling to the nuts, place on a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes, until golden and crunchy. Remove and set aside to cool.
Return the strained carrots and fennel to the bowl, add the cabbage, radicchio, red pepper and chilli, andstir well.
For the dressing, whisk together the yoghurt, mayonnaise, remaining lemon juice, mustard, honey, olive oil, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and an eighth of a teaspoon of white pepper. Pour this over the vegetables and mix well. Add the herbs and spiced nuts, stir to combine and serve.
Quince poached in pomegranate juice
A glorious, festive dessert – and to my mind most definitely superior toChristmas pudding both in the colour department and in ease of preparation. If you like – and I do – sprinkle over some chopped pistachios at the end. These quantities make enough to serve four generously.
2 large quinces, peeled and quartered
800ml pomegranate juice
70g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
The shaved peel of 1 large orange, plus 50ml juice
2 whole star anise
65g pomegranate seeds
120g clotted cream
2 tsp fresh mint leaves (optional)
Core the eight quince quarters. Discard four cores and tie the others into a bundle with an old tea towel or muslin. Put the cored quince quarters into a heavy-based pan and add the wrapped-up cores, pomegranate juice, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds, orange peel and juice, and star anise. Bring to aboil, turn down to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15-25 minutes, until the quince is soft.
Remove the quince quarters with a slotted spoon and set aside. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes or so, until it's thick, syrupy and reduced to about 75ml. Just before serving, squeeze all the thick juices out of the core bundle into the sauce, then discard along with the orange peel, star anise and vanilla. Return the quince to the syrup and gently warm through. Place two quarters of quince on each plate, pour over some syrup and serve with clotted cream and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and shredded mint (if using).
Fiona Beckett's wine recommendation
When you have lots of vibrant flavours popping up in a recipe, you need a wine that'll rub along amiably rather than compete with them. Youcould go two ways with Yotam's duck – a bright, fruity pinot such as Ara Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 (£10.99, Waitrose; 12.5% abv), from Marlborough in New Zealand, or themouthwatering 2010 Primitivo Rosso (£13.50, Lea & Sandeman; 14%abv), from a great range by Puglian producer Alberto Longo.
