Sophie's festive braised Magret duck breast with a cassis & raspberry sauce served with a parsnip & carrot mash

I made this stunning dinner yesterday. I love braised duck breast. I bought a free range Magret duck  aka duck breast, from a farm in the South West of France. I made a lovely cassis and raspberry sauce with it and served it with a parsnip and carrot mash, without potatoes. 





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Recipe: For 2 persons

Ingredients:

1 Magret free range duck breast , with skin on and fat, mine was 348 gr.

Maldon sea salt flakes

grinds of black pepper

** For the cassis and raspberry sauce:

60 ml of crème de cassis de Dijon

60 ml of a good balsamic vinegar

4 sjalots, peeled and finely miced

2 ( 15 ml ) tablespoons of a good raspberry jam/ I used raspberry jam sweetened with agave

120 gr of fresh raspberries

2 small knobs of Alpro soy baking margarine ( dairy free )

** For the parsnip and carrot mash:

400 gr of carrots, peeled and cut up into equal rounds, weighted when peeled

400 gr of parsnips, peeled and cut up into small chunks, each 0.5 cm x0.5 cm , weighted when peeled

Maldon sea salt flakes

a few grinds of black pepper

some Alpro Soy baking margarine

Herbamare salt 





Method:

1. In 2 seperate cooking pots boil the parsnips and the carrot rounds until al dente. I added a bit of Herbamare salt to the boiling water. Drain well. Add the cooked parsnips to the carrots and mash more finely. Add some Maldon sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the mash. I also added a bit of Alpro Soy baking margarine to the mash. Taste. It has to taste fab and a bit sweet. Keep warm.

2. Heat a large non stick pan on a lower heat. Place the duck breast with the skin down into the pan without any fat!!! When the skin starts to fry, the skin will release it's fat gradualy.

Now, time your timer for 12 minutes. It will take about 12 minutes for the fat to render completely. Now, turn the heat a bit higher on moderate heat. Througout the whole process the fat will melt. When there is a lot of fat in the pan, pour a lot of it out in a jug.

So, leave the duck into the pan on the skin side for about 12 minutes. Just watch it carefully.

Pour away most of the fat when there is a lot of fat in the pan.

3. When the 12 minutes are over, carefully flip ther duck over and fry the breast side for about 10 to 15 minutes. But, turn the heat off. Place a fitting lid onto the pan. Check the duck from time to time. If you want a rearer duck, just let it sit into the pan for about 10 minutes. I always serve my duck pink rosé, so that there is no blood left and let it sit into the pan for 15 minutes. I also seared the duck on all sides well during that time.

4. Warm 2 white serving plates into the oven.

5. Remove the duck from the pan and place it, tuck it neatly in aluminium foil to rest for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the sauce. Heat the pan up to a higher heat. You still have duck fat in the pan, if it isn't enough, add a bit from the jug, where you kept the duck fat. In the remaining duck fat, fry the sjalots quickly. Now, add the crème de cassis. Stir well.

Add the raspberry jam, the balsamic vinegar and the fresh raspberries. Reduce the sauce a bit & taste. It tastes fab! When a bit reduced to your liking, turn the heat off and add 2 knobs of Alpro soy baking margarine. This binds the sauce a bit and makes it look glossy and sophisticated. Pour the sauce in a saucer. Now, place the duck breast on a chopping board and slice it thinly lenghtways. You will see that it is cooked to perfection!! It is still rosé on the inside. Take your serving paltes and plate up with a cooking ring in the middle of the plate. You fill it with the parsnipand carrot mash. Make the surface of the filled ring flat with a knife & carefully remove the ring. Do the same with the other plate. Place 2 slices of duck breast on each side of the middle of the plate. Spoon the warm sauce over the sides of the duck, but not too much so that you still can see the pink rosé of the duck for presentation. 





Serve at once and enjoy with a loved one.





This is lovely enjoyed with a good Spanish wine like Viñas del Vero 2005, Colección Cabernet Sauvignon, with hints of blackberries and balsamic vinegar.





MMMMMMMMM,..do enjoy this festive meal!

You can spoon some of the warm sauce again over your duck breasts slices so that the duck will still be hot when you eat it.

















You might like:

1. Smoked duck, asparagus & fig salad













Sophie's Festive Magret Duck Breast With A Cassis & Raspberry Sauce, Served With A Parsnip & Carrot Mash