Magret duck breast with a cassis & raspberry sauce served with a parsnip & carrot mash

Ingredients

• 1 Magret free range duck breast , with skin on and fat,
• 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
• 120 g of fresh raspberries
• 2 small knobs of Alpro soy baking margarine ( dairy free )

For the parsnip and carrot mash:

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

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Preparation

• In 2 seperate cooking pots boil the parsnips and the carrot rounds until al dente. 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. Taste. It has to taste fab and a bit sweet. Keep warm. 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.
• Hen 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.
• Warm 2 white serving plates into the oven. 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.