Duck breast with passion fruit sauce

Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
For the seared duck breast:
4 Gressingham duck breasts
salt
Pepper
For the passion fruit sauce:
4 passion fruits
2 star anise
70ml of whisky
100ml of maple syrup
10g of black treacle
For the crushed new potatoes:
500g of new potatoes
butter
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
salt


Method

1. Begin by making the passion fruit sauce. Cut the passion fruit in half and remove the pulp, seeds and flesh from the inside. Place all the inside contents into a small saucepan.
2. Add the whisky and star anis, and bring to the boil. The whisky may be flambé. Allow the alcohol to burn off and remove the pan from the heat until the flame burns out.
3. Add the maple syrup and black treacle to the pan and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat, and set aside to let the ingredients infuse together. Reheat the sauce before serving.
4. Wash the new potatoes thoroughly and place in a suitably sized pan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Allow to cook for 10-15minutes until tender, before straining and leaving to cool slightly.
5. Whilst the potatoes are cooling, skin side up place the duck breast on a chopping board. Using a very sharp knife, score the skin in a diagonal direction. Turn the duck breast around and repeat the same process in the opposite direction.
6. Season the duck with salt and pepper. On a high heat, warm an oven proof frying pan. Once very hot, place the duck breast into the pan skin side down. Reduce the heat, and leave for 5 minutes so the duck gently fries and turns golden brown.
7. Preheat the oven to 190˚C/gas mark 5. Transfer the frying into the oven and cook for 3 minutes before turning over and cooking for a further 3 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the duck breast onto a board or plate. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 5 minutes.
9. In the meantime, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Melt a large knob of butter in the pan. Once it begins to foam, add the potatoes having already slightly crushed each one in your hands.
10. Toss the potatoes in the warm butter, and season to taste with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chives just before serving. Plate up alongside the carved duck breast, and finish with a drizzle of hot passion fruit sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more delicious duck recipes.