Cured duck 'ham' with goats' cheese and cherries
- Prepare
- overnight
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
- Dietary
- Egg-free
It's easier than you think to make your own cured duck 'ham', using salt, sugar and an array of herbs and spices.
Ingredients
For the cured duck
- 2 star anise
- 2 tsp pink peppercorns
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 200g/7oz flaked sea salt
- 200g/7oz light brown sugar
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 good-quality duck breasts
For the sauce
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken or duck stock
- 250ml/9fl oz port
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g/3½oz pitted fresh cherries
- runny honey, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- pinch dried red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
To serve
- 1 red endive
- 1 yellow endive
- handful watercress
- 200g/7oz goats’ cheese log, sliced
Method
To make the cured duck, mix all the ingredients except the duck together in a bowl. Bury the duck in cure, skin-side down, ensuring it is totally covered in the cure. Cover with cling and press lightly with weights. Chill the duck in the fridge for 3 days.
After 3 days, wash off the cure and thinly slice before serving.
To make the cherry sauce, pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce by three-quarters.
In a separate saucepan over medium heat, add the port, star anise, bay leaf and cherries and poach gently for 10 minutes to soften.
Remove the cherries, set aside then turn up the heat and reduce the sauce to a syrup. Add the hot stock and reduce this to taste.
Season with salt and pepper and add some honey to sweeten if needed. Add the cherries back into the reduction.
To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl mix the olive oil and vinegar with the dried red chilli flakes and thyme. Add 4 tablespoons of the stock and port reduction. Whisk to combine.
To serve, arrange the endive and watercress on a plate. Add some goats’ cheese and sliced duck then dress with the cherries and vinaigrette. Serve.
