Duck breast with calvados and apple
Go over all French farmhouse with this dish of breast of duck, served with a silky, boozey sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 small duck breasts (about 140g/5oz each)
- 1 tbsp oil
- knob of butter
- 2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slivers
- 100ml/3½fl oz calvados
- 200ml/7fl oz apple juice, plus an extra tablespoon
- 100ml/3½fl oz chicken stock
- 1 rounded tsp cornflour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Remove the skin from the duck breasts and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the breasts for four minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.
Add a large knob of butter to the pan and add the apple slivers. Cook for 4–5 minutes, moving regularly, or until cooked through and golden-brown, but not mushy. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.
Deglaze the pan with the calvados and bring to the boil. Allow to bubble away until the volume of liquid has reduced by half.
Add the apple juice and stock and bubble to reduce the volume the liquid by half again. Pour in the resting juices from the duck.
Add the cornflour to a bowl with a tablespoon of apple juice. Pour in a little hot liquid from the pan and stir until smooth.
Pour the cornflour mixture into the pan and stir until smooth. Bring to the boil to thicken slightly and season with salt and pepper. Return the apple slices to the pan to warm through and allow everything simmer away for 1 minute.
Divide the apple slices between four plates. Slice the duck breasts on the diagonal and place on top of the apple. Drizzle with the sauce and serve.
