Name: Bitter green salad with duck, pear and walnuts
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Duck confit; 6 duck legs, skin on; 3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme; 2 tablespoon finely chopped juniper berries; 2 tablespoon minced garlic; 3 bay leaves (fresh or dried), torn; 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper; 3 tablespoon flaky sea salt; canola oil, for frying; Pear and fennel purée; 2 tablespoon canola oil; 2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb; 2 cup diced pear; 2 tablespoon walnut oil (or similar); flaky sea salt; Salad; 3 cup wild rocket; 2 witloof, halved and thinly sliced; 1 small radicchio, leaves torn; 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/2 cup inner celery leaves (pale yellow only); 2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced; 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped; 1 1/2 tablespoon apple syrup*; 1 1/2 tablespoon walnut oil; flaky sea salt

Bitter green salad with duck, pear and walnuts

This salad is full of flavour. Bitter greens cut through richness of the confit duck, the pear adds sweetness and the walnuts texture. While pinot noir tends to be a typical wine match for many duck dishes, we found a rose worked better with the bitter greens - perfect for a lighter summer meal. - Al Brown

Serves 6

Prep

45M

Cook

2H 30M

Marinate

48H

Total

3H 15M

Ingredients

Duck confit

6 duck legs, skin on

3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoon finely chopped juniper berries

2 tablespoon minced garlic

3 bay leaves (fresh or dried), torn

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

3 tablespoon flaky sea salt

canola oil, for frying

Pear and fennel purée

2 tablespoon canola oil

2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb

2 cup diced pear

2 tablespoon walnut oil (or similar)

flaky sea salt

Salad

3 cup wild rocket

2 witloof, halved and thinly sliced

1 small radicchio, leaves torn

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup inner celery leaves (pale yellow only)

2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon apple syrup*

1 1/2 tablespoon walnut oil

flaky sea salt

Method

Duck confit

1.Prepare the duck in advance as it needs to marinate for two days. Trim off any excess fat from the legs then place legs in a bowl.

2.Rub in the thyme, juniper berries and garlic, scatter with torn bayleaves and season with pepper and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for a couple of days in the fridge.

3.When duck legs have marinated, preheat oven to 150°C.

4.Brush off excess marinade and place legs to fit snugly in an ovenproof dish. Melt duck fat and pour over legs then cover dish with tinfoil.

5.Cook in the oven for 2 hours, then check to see if the flesh is tender and pulls away easily from the bone. If it is not ready, continue cooking, checking every 15 minutes.

6.Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the entire dish until required.

7.Remove legs from fat. (Store fat airtight in the refrigerator and reuse for other recipes.) Place a large skillet on a medium heat and add a splash of canola oil.

8.Place legs in skillet, skin side down. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy, then flip and heat through on the reverse side. Remove from pan and rest.

Pear and fennel purée

9.Meanwhile, prepare the purée. Place a small pan on a low heat, add the canola oil, fennel and pear and stir to mix together.

10.Cover with a lid and cook slowly for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft but not coloured. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.

11.With the motor running, drizzle in the walnut oil and blend until incorporated. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until required.

Salad

12.Place rocket, witloof, radicchio, parsley, celery leaves, pear and toasted walnuts in a mixing bowl, then dress with apple syrup and walnut oil.

13.Season lightly with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Pull the crispy duck meat off the bones and mix through the bitter salad.

14.Spoon some pear and fennel purée into each serving dish and top with bitter salad, making sure each helping includes a mixture of all the ingredients.