Ingredients
- 3 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 oven-ready wild duck
- small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 shallots, peeled
- 250 ml duck or chicken stock
- 1 orange
- 1 tbsp Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar, or good quality balsamic vinegar
- 10 g Willie’s Cacao Sambirano Madagascar 100% Cocoa Mass
- 1 heaped tsp quince or redcurrant jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Rub the salt all over skin of the duck and place the thyme in the body cavity.
- Melt the butter in a roasting tin over a medium heat. Add the duck with the shallots and cook, turning regularly, until browned all over.
- Place in the hot oven and cook for 30 minutes if you like the meat rare, or 40 minutes for a medium-cooked bird. Don’t overcook. Wild duck that is well done can be a little dry and tough.
- While the duck is cooking, pour the stock into a saucepan and add a few strips of orange peel and the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Take the cooked duck out of the oven and transfer to a warm dish along with the shallots. Cover loosely with foil, and leave in a warm place to rest while you make the gravy. Tip out any excess fat from the roasting tin.
- Place the tin over a medium heat and pour in the prepared stock, stirring to scrap up any brown caramelized bits off the base of the tin. Strain back into a fresh saucepan and stir in the cacao and redcurrant jelly. Place over a low heat and cook, stirring, until the cacao and redcurrant jelly melts. If necessary, cook a little longer to thicken slightly, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add a squeeze or two of fresh orange juice, according to taste.
- Divide the duck in half by cutting through the breastbone and place each piece on a warm serving plate. Pour a little hot gravy around the duck and serve the rest of the gravy separately in a warmed jug. Garnish with a few strips of orange zest and serve with mashed potato and a selection of steamed vegetables.