Duck Breast with Chinese-Spiced Blueberry Sauce

For the Fancy Dinner Host

Ingredients

4 duck breasts olive oil, for drizzling
sea salt

Chinese spiced blueberry sauce

3 x 125 g punnets blueberries

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/ 4 cup (60 ml) chicken stock

1/ 3 cup (75 g) brown sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 star anise

1 dried red chilli

1/ 2 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon Sezhuan pepper

3 whole cloves

Preheat an oven to 180 ° C.

Score the duck skin, using a sharp knife to make a crisscross pattern. Drizzle the duck with oil and season with salt, rubbing to coat all over.

Preheat a large frying pan over low heat. Cook the breasts skin side down for 5–10 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the skin is crisp and golden. Drain the fat into a heatproof bowl. Turn the duck breasts over and cook for 1­–2 minutes, until browned. Transfer duck into a roasting dish and cook in oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile to make the Chinese spiced blueberry sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the simmer over low-medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, until the blueberries have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the sauce through and fine mesh sieve, rubbing with the back of a spoon, to push the pulp through. Discard the remaining solids. Return to the pan and keep warm.

Remove the duck from the oven, cover with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with Chinese spiced blueberry sauce.

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