Tandoori duck breast with duck croquettes, apricots and pak choi
Item 1 of 1
- 6
- 2 hours 30 minutes
Mighty duck is the star of the show in Francesco Apreda's tandoori recipe, with the breasts marinated in yoghurt and spices, the legs made into crispy croquettes and the bones simmered down to a hearty jus. The chef counters the spicy richness of the marinated duck with a bitter cocoa soil, verdant pak choi and sweet buttered apricots. Discover how to butcher a duck yourself with our guide, or, if unsure, ask your butcher to do this for you.
First published in 2016
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Tandoori duck breasts
- 3 ducks
- 200g of natural yoghurt
- 10g of tandoori paste
- 140g of butter
- 3g of tandoori masala, plus extra to garnish
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Duck jus
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
Duck croquettes
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick of celery, finely diced
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 20ml of Marsala wine
- 500ml of vegetable stock
- 300g of white bread, crusts removed
- 30ml of cream
- 25g of mortadella, finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 20g of grated Parmesan
- 200g of plain flour
- 1 dash of olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- peanut oil, for deep-frying
Cocoa soil
- 100g of plain flour
- 100g of butter, softened
- 50g of cocoa powder
- 40g of sugar
- 50g of cocoa beans, chopped
- 2g of tonka bean, chopped
Apricots
- 12 dried apricots
- 1 knob of butter
Pak choi
- 200g of pak choi
- 1 dash of olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Muslin cloth
- Piping bag and nozzle
- Water bath
- Vacuum bags
- Bar sealer
- Mincer
- Food processor
- Deep-fryer
Method
1
Begin by jointing the ducks (or, alternatively, ask a butcher to do this when buying the birds). Use a sharp knife to make a cut between the breast and the thigh on the first duck then pull the leg in a downwards motion away from the breast. When the leg pops out of the joint cut the leg away completely and set aside
- 3 ducks
2
Repeat with the other leg and the other 2 ducks, then set aside 2 of the legs in the fridge for making the croquettes – the other 4 can be used in another recipe or frozen for future use
3
To remove the breasts, cut down the side of the breast bone keeping the knife as close to the bone as possible. Slice outwards to remove the whole breast from the rib cage in one clean piece. Repeat with the other 5 breasts, placing them in the fridge until ready to use
4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
5
Roughly chop the remaining carcasses – the wings, bones and trim – into pieces for making the jus. Spread out on a large baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until golden brown
6
Once roasted, transfer the bones to a large pan or stock pot along with the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Pour over enough water to cover completely and place over a medium heat. Simmer for about 3 hours, skimming off any residue that rises to the surface with a spoon from time to time
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
7
After this time, strain the liquid through a sieve and discard the bones and vegetables. Strain again into a clean pan through a sieve lined with a muslin cloth and set aside until needed
8
To make the croquettes, add a dash of oil to a pan and place over a low heat. Add the diced vegetables and fry gently for a few minutes to soften
- 1 dash of olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick of celery, finely diced
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
9
Remove the bones from the reserved 2 duck legs and season the meat lightly with salt. Add to the pan with the vegetables, then pour over the Marsala wine and cook until evaporated. Pour over enough vegetable stock to cover and leave to cook for 1 hour, topping up a little with water if required
- 20ml of Marsala wine
- 500ml of vegetable stock
10
Meanwhile, mix together the yoghurt and tandoori paste to make a marinade for the breasts. Decant 2 heaped tablespoons into a piping bag to use as a garnish, reserving in the fridge until required
- 200g of natural yoghurt
- 10g of tandoori paste
11
Place the 6 duck breasts in a shallow dish and cover evenly with the remaining yoghurt marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
12
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
13
Place the flour, butter, cocoa powder and sugar for the soil in a bowl and mix together to create an even sandy texture, then spread the mixture out over a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and break up any large clumps with a fork then return to the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking. Set aside to cool
- 100g of plain flour
- 100g of butter, softened
- 50g of cocoa powder
- 40g of sugar
14
Preheat a water bath to 60°C
15
Remove the marinated duck breasts from the dish and pat dry with kitchen paper. Seal in vacuum bags and cook in the water bath for 18 minutes
16
Once the duck legs have simmered for the required time, the meat should be cooked through and tender. Remove from the liquid and allow to cool slightly
17
While the leg meat is cooling, tear the bread into rough chunks and weigh out 100g. Place this in a shallow dish with the cream and leave to soak for a few minutes
- 100g of white bread, crusts removed
- 30ml of cream
18
When cool enough to handle, finely shred and mince the meat from the legs. Mix together with the cream-soaked bread, chopped mortadella, 1 of the eggs, grated Parmesan and a little seasoning. Shape into 12 small, even croquettes
- 25g of mortadella, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 20g of grated Parmesan
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
19
Blitz the remaining 200g of bread in a food processor to make fine crumbs and place in a small dish. Spread the plain flour out across another shallow dish and beat the remaining egg, placing it into a third. Roll the croquettes first in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs to coat fully. Set aside on a tray
- 200g of white bread, crusts removed
- 1 egg
- 200g of plain flour
20
Place the reserved pan of jus over a medium heat and cook down until serving so that it thickens and reduces to a sauce-like consistency
21
Remove the duck breasts from the water bath and refresh the bags immediately in a bowl of iced water to cool. Remove from the vacuum bags and pat dry with kitchen paper
22
Season well with salt and pepper, then place skin-side down in an oven-proof frying pan set over a medium heat and cook for a few minutes until the skin is crisp and golden
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
23
Preheat the oven to the lowest setting
24
Add the butter to the pan and baste the duck as it melts. Flip the breasts over to cook for a few seconds on the other side, then sprinkle over the tandoori masala and thyme leaves. Transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking for 5–8 minutes
- 140g of butter
- 3g of tandoori masala, plus extra to garnish
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
25
Preheat a deep-fryer with the peanut oil to 180°C
- peanut oil, for deep-frying
26
Fry the croquettes in the hot oil for a few minutes until crisp and golden brown. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper and season lightly with salt and pepper
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
27
Place a pan over a medium heat and add a large knob of butter. Once foaming, add the dried apricots and allow to cook for a few minutes until lightly coloured on each side
- 1 knob of butter
- 12 dried apricots
28
In a separate pan, heat a good dash of oil and sauté the pak choi for a minute to soften. Season with a little salt and set aside
- 1 dash of olive oil
- 200g of pak choi
- 1 pinch of salt
29
To serve, carve the cooked duck breasts into slices and place in the centre of each plate. Halve the buttered apricots and position around the duck, followed by a few of the pak choi leaves and crispy croquettes
30
Mix the chopped cocoa and Tonka beans into the cocoa soil and scatter over the plate in little piles. Add a generous drizzle of the reduced duck jus, piping a few small dots of the reserved tandoori yoghurt around each plate to finish
- 50g of cocoa beans, chopped
- 2g of tonka bean, chopped
First published in 2016
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