Duck with pomegranate and wine sauce
DUCK WITH POMEGRANATE AND WINE SAUCE
Fills 4 x 200ml ramekins
Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
¾ cup dry red wine
1.6 litres homemade chicken stock
¾ cup orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 t fresh oreganum, finely chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to season
4 portions duck, ideally breast
nd thigh
1.5 T all-purpose flour
Pomegranate rubies, for garnish
Method: Preheat the oven to 230°C. Heat the oil in a heavy-base saucepan. Add the shallots and sauté until soft and golden brown. Add the garlic, and mix through. Add both of the wines and bring to the boil. Allow most of the liquid to evaporate and then add the stock, juices, origanum and bay leaf. Boil until the mixture is reduced to two cups and then discard the bay leaf.
Rub the duck meat with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sear, skin side down until it browns. Transfer the duck to a foil-lined baking tray and roast for about 20 minutes. Reserve about two tablespoons of fat in the pan and drain the rest.
Bring sauce back to the simmer and heat up the fat left over in the pan. Add flour to the pan and whisk, gradually adding sauce, whisking all the time.
Plate the duck and pour the thickened sauce over each portion. Garnish with a handful of pomegranate rubies and serve with blanched vegetables and either mashed potato or potato rostis.
