Duck with a mushroom sauce

Ever since I was a child, duck has always been one of my favourite meats to eat. Especially crispy duck at the Chinese restaurants, unfortunately or fortunately depending on how we look at things, I’ve not managed to replicate it….. YET…… although I suspect that if I was able to recreate the crispy duck recipe, I would probably make it all the time if I could. Then I would get as sick of it, like I got sick of pork (although pork has never been a favourite of mine) and it makes me sick for whole set of different reasons. This recipe though ticks all the boxes and is well worth a try in my book, which is vast now, I just keep growing which is something I am very proud of.

Duck with a Mushroom Sauce

2tbsp olive oil

4 spring onions/scallions

175g button mushrooms

1tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp sun-dried tomato puree

1tsp cornflour

300ml chicken stock

Chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish

Salt and black pepper

4 duck breasts

2-3tbsp vermouth

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based skillet, fry the spring onions and mushrooms over a low heat, for a few minutes until softened, mix in the lemon juice and sun-dried tomato puree.
2. Mix the cornflour with a little of the stock, until it’s completely blended. Then in a saucepan bring the remaining stock to a boil, add the cornflour mixture and stir continuously, make sure you stir over all areas of your pan, the cornflour will gather at the bottom of the saucepan and become a gloopy thick paste, which is quite difficult to blend in, this will leave lumps… eww! Add the chopped parsley and season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Set to one side but keep warm.
3. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of your duck breasts, in a criss cross pattern. Heat a griddle pan if you have one, otherwise a heavy based skillet will work, over a medium heat cook your duck breasts to your liking. My personal preference is about medium, I like it pink but not bloody.
4. Put your duck breasts on a plate and place to one side, covering with tin foil so that they stay warm. Pour of the grease from the griddle and then pour the vermouth into the bottom of the pan, cooking for a few minutes and then gently scrape the pan, so you don’t ruin it. This process will incorporate any of the cooking juices and sediment, add it to your stock to infuse the flavour a little.
5. Serve the duck with the sauce spooned over the top.

poaching fish

This recipe is another of my own, and also the other way that I like to cook fish, I have a serious issue with "crispy" fish, I can't stand the texture, but love the taste - rather unfortunate if you ask me. It's like, for example, if you really like peanuts but can't eat them because of a nut allergy, to me that's really unlucky, but at least you have a reason! I just start to gag because of the texture, how incredibly lame is that? Anyway by poaching the fish, you can pretty much bet your bottom dollar, that the fish will be perfectly cooked, and it only takes a few minutes...... I serve this with new potatoes and vegetables. The milk I turn into a white sauce, simply by adding a little flour to cold liquid and pouring it into the milk,

cook stirring continuously until it thickens and        

season to taste.                                                       

   Poached Fish

2 fish fillets of choice

milk

salt and pepper 

1 bay leaf

tsp Italian dried herbs

butter

1 tbsp cornflour

50 ml white wine

1. Place fish in a large skillet, cover half way with the milk, add salt and pepper to taste, the bay leaf, Italian herbs and a knob of butter. Cook until the fish is cooked, you can tell because it should easily flake with a fork...  You may have turn the fish over, to cook the other side.

2. Gently remove the fish, once it is cooked. Carefully wrap in toil foil and keep warm. Remove the bay leaf, from the fluid.

3. Add the white wine to the cornflour, and give it a good stir so that the flour has "dissolved" then slowly pour into the milk, gently bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.

Serve with new boiled potatoes and vegetables of choice!