Coriander Duck with Peas

I'm sure a French translation of this dish would sound more romantic, but frankly, my French spelling isn't up to it.  I'm getting into the swing of all things French as two days, I'll be en vacance.  My local butcher stocks only local meat, with the exception of his duck - all of which comes from France, so I'm looking forward to tasting it in situ.

I know that the duck breast has become deeply unfashionable having been somewhat over used on every menu imaginable for twenty years.  However, it is extremely convenient.  Quick and easy to cook with minimal wastage and tasty to boot.  That's how come it became over used in the first place. 

What is fashionable is to serve duck with some sort of sharp fruit - cherries work well for example.  That 1970's restaurant classic, Duck a l'orange, is also making something of a comeback - when well made (with seville oranges) it can be fantastic.  But regular readers will know that Spud thinks there's a missing verse from Leviticus banning us from eating meat and fruit side-by-side, so no fruit sauce for me (even if it was Father's Day).

So, no fruit sauce - and I didn't really fancy doing the whole heavily reduced red wine jus thing, so I got to thinking about the spice rack.  Coriander seed was one of the first things that sprang to mind - it has that almost orange-blossom perfume about it, without going down the whole sweet route.  Some vermouth and some chicken stock to finish and a sauce was made.

The peas were another thing again.  Another one on the long list of Spud's concerns is the cooking of salad leaves.  She won't countenance mopping-up gravy with a floppy green lettuce leaf, for example.  Salad has to be served on a different plate to the main.  But I wanted to go down the whole French road with the peas, and so lettuce was introduced.  Grudgingly, she said she enjoyed it...

Coriander Duck 
(Serves 2)
2 duck breasts
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed with a pestle and mortar
Salt & pepper
1/2 glass Noily Prat or other dry vermouth
1/2 pint chicken stock

Peas
(Serves 2)
1 thick rasher smoked bacon cut into thin lardons
8oz fresh (very) or frozen peas
4 spring onions, cut into 1inch lenghts
1 little gem lettuce, quartered lengthways
1oz butter

Make cuts in the fat side of the duck.  Rub all over with the coriander and black pepper.  Lightly season the fat side only with salt.  Set aside for half an hour or more.

When ready, put a pan on a medium-high heat and, when hot, add the duck, skin side down.  There's no need for oil as it will produce its own.  Cook the duck for around 5 minutes on each side, or until nicely crisped up.  Set aside.
Pour off the excess fat from the pan and deglaze with the vermouth.  Add the chicken stock and allow to reduce well.

Carve the duck into slices - if it looks a little underdone for you, place into the pan with the sauce and gently warm through to cook a little more.  Serve

For the peas:
Fry the bacon until crisp.  Put aside. Boil the peas, onions and lettuce until tender in salted water.  Drain, add the bacon and butter and give a good swirl.  Serve.

And the wine?  Well NatDecants recommends a Pinot Noir - another lucky one for me, as that's what we drank!  (I must start to read the wine recommendations before I eat, rather than after...)

tags: france  poultry  

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