Roast wild duck breast with walnuts and celery
A sophisticated supper featuring rich duck breast finished in Madeira wine and garlic, served with an autumnal garnish.
Method
To make the duck, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Season the duck breast with salt and black pepper and heat a little oil in a ovenproof frying pan, then add the duck skin side down and fry until golden brown before turning over. This will take around 2 minutes.
Turnover and lay the duck on top of the sliced fig, thyme and bay and roast in the oven for 4–5 minutes, depending on the size of your breast, until pink. Add the Madeira, garlic and stock and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest.
In a separate frying pan, sauté the celery in the butter to colour, this will take 2–3 minutes, then add the walnuts, figs and grapes and leave off the heat.
Slice the duck and serve with the resting juices and the celery and grape garnish on the side.