Tag Archives: easy duck recipe

It’s less than a week until Christmas and as usual at this time of year, I am feeling tired, unprepared and over-full.

I’m tired because I’m doing my usual work/family juggling act while also trying to go out as much as possible. It’s totally self-inflicted so I’m not asking for any sympathy. Just a strong cup of coffee.

I’m feeling unprepared because I haven’t done any Christmas present shopping or making yet. So I’ve set aside this weekend to go shopping and to make this Chilli Sauce and this Sweet and Salty Chocolate Bark.

And I’m overfull because going out and spending time with friends inevitably involves eating a lot. I’m baking all the time at the moment, too. Apparently my inner cake slut has finally emerged and seized control of my brain and willpower.

So on those rare occasions when I’m not dining out or eating yet another slice of cake I’m trying to eat as healthy as possible. Because life is all about balance, y’all.

This salad is my kind of healthy food. OK, the roast duck is rich and not exactly low fat but I have never been one to sacrifice flavour in favour of my thighs. Incidentally, what is the male equivalent of a thigh gap? Oh, that’s right – there isn’t one. *shakes head*

But back to the salad. This salad is so pretty you could definitely serve it up for Christmas Day lunch. Duck is always a special treat for us and if you live in Australia this salad is far more appropriate for our hot Christmas Day weather than the usual roasted meats. Plus, this dish is super easy because I bought the roasted duck from a Chinese restaurant. So it’s really just a matter of assembling the salad and spooning over the dressing.

Of course if you’d prefer to cook your own duck, you can. Buy three duck breasts from your butcher and see my earlier Duck with Plum Sauce and Figs recipe for instructions on how to cook them. 

Either way, making a delicious duck salad couldn’t be much easier. This is a good thing at any time of the year but especially so during this silly season.

Enjoy! xx

Duck, Orange and Pomegranate Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 200 grams baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
• 2 oranges, peeled, sliced and halved
• 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 roasted duck from a Chinese restaurant (ask them to chop it up for you)
• 1 pomegranate, seeds only
• 1 punnet red currants, gently washed
• 1 small bunch mint (optional), washed
• 80 grams roasted hazelnuts (optional)
• 1 tablespoon top quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoons honey
• Salt flakes and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Arrange spinach leaves on a large platter and arrange orange slices and onion on top.
2. Arrange duck pieces on top.
3. Sprinkle over pomegranate seeds, plus mint and hazelnuts if using.
4. Make dressing by whisking olive oil, vinegar, juice and honey in a small cup and spooning it over the salad.
5. Season to taste and serve. Mix the salad up at the table.

NOTES

1. Serves 6.
2. Gluten, dairy and nut-free (this was made without nuts but you can add optional nuts).

More Salad Recipes

• Two Spring Salads: Radish  Salad / Beetroot, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
• Thai Prawn Salad
• Tomato and Bocconcini Salad
• Fig, Prosciutto and Pear Salad
• Beetroot, Walnut and Mint Salad
• Fiery Vietnamese Chicken Salad
• Blood Orange and Pomegranate Salad

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This is not a Valentine’s Day post. With my current relationship status — recently separated after a nine year relationship/marriage — I feel ill-equipped to gush about heart-shaped biscuits and strawberry milkshakes for two with matching pink and white striped straws.

Frankly, I feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge prior to the visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come. I see young couples in love and can barely restrain myself from shaking my fist and yelling ‘Bah, humbug!’ at them.

In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not anti-love; I love being in love. Being in love is pretty much the best thing you do for your skin, ever, easily trumping $200 jars of face cream and 12-hour sleeps. But I’m just not in that space at the moment and while it makes me a little sad, it also means I have heaps of energy for creative projects that might otherwise never see the light of day. Hence this post, created, written and shot even through my head cold has now moved into my chest and I almost sprained my ribs coughing today.

So while this is not a Valentine’s Day post, this is what I would cook for a romantic dinner for two.

• Oysters or caviar to start, served with Champagne
• This Duck Breast with Plum Sauce & Figs, served with red wine
• Chocolate mousse served with coffee. You don’t want to be falling asleep at this point. (PS ignore the awful photos in my chocolate mousse post – it’s an old post.)

There are certain foods that one associates with sex and oysters and caviar are top of the list. So if your dining companion likes seafood either of these starters should help to set the mood. For the main, I was originally thinking of doing a seafood pasta but then I thought of the bloating factor, so common with gluten products, and not a turn-on in anyone’s books. So I went instead with this Duck with Plum Sauce & Figs.

Duck is one of those meats that nearly all carnivores love, but few try cooking at home. It’s a shame because duck isn’t a tricky meat – sure, you need to be quite precise about your cooking times but that is true of any good cut of meat. The plum sauce is tart and fragrant, and cuts through the richness of the duck, beautifully. The recipe below makes a medium-sized bowl, which will be way more than you will need, but it tastes great the next morning served on pancakes or with muesli and yoghurt, too.

Mashed Potatoes are one of the greatest comfort foods known to humankind and will help smooth over any random awkward moments while the plum sauce and fresh figs crank up the sexiness factor. I haven’t bothered with vegetables beyond a few artfully placed lettuce leaves as I can’t think of one romantic dinner I’ve ever had that involved a lot of vegetables. I know we should eat a balanced diet but this is not the time to be thinking of your health.

To finish this meal all you need are a few spoonfuls of chocolate mousse and an espresso. If your guest says yes to an offered coffee late at night there’s a fair chance that they’re not planning to go to sleep anytime soon.

To serve this meal, chill the Champagne and prepare the chocolate mousse and plum sauce in the morning. Cook the mash and prepare the oysters/caviar and fig and salad garnish an hour before your guest is due to arrive. Open the red wine and let it breathe. Then have a shower, get ready, tidy the house, and do whatever you need to do to feel good and relaxed.

After you’ve served the oysters/caviar and Champagne and had a little breather, put on your sexiest apron and cook the duck breasts. While you’re doing this get your guest to help by heating up the plum sauce and plating up the mash, figs and salad. I find guests generally like helping out in the kitchen and if they don’t, well they’re not the sort of person who deserves to eat this dish anyway.

So, in the spirit of a reformed Ebeneezer Scrooge, may I wish you bon appétit and a successful evening.

P.S. save the dishes for the morning.

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