Cardamom green tea poached duck with cardamom maple glaze

Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

  • Serves six
  • 6 boneless duck breasts, fillet removed and all sinew trimmed
  • 6 boneless duck legs
  • 20 cardamom pods
  • 4 star anise
  • 6 green tea tea bags
  • 4 strawberry tea bags (or other fruity flavour)
  • Water to cover
  • 3 oranges, sliced
  • Salt and ground white pepper
  • Sauce:
  • 300ml maple syrup
  • 12 cardamom pods
  • 50ml honey
  • 50ml Grand Marnier
  • Serves six
  • 6 boneless duck breasts, fillet removed and all sinew trimmed
  • 6 boneless duck legs
  • 20 cardamom pods
  • 4 star anise
  • 6 green tea tea bags
  • 4 strawberry tea bags (or other fruity flavour)
  • Water to cover
  • 3 oranges, sliced
  • Salt and ground white pepper
  • Sauce:
  • 300ml maple syrup
  • 12 cardamom pods
  • 50ml honey
  • 50ml Grand Marnier

Season the duck well with salt and white pepper. Roll out a sheet of cling film about the length of a computer keyboard. Now roll out three more layers making sure to slightly overlap the previous layer. Place a duck leg, fat side down, on the centre and place a duck breast on top, fat side up.

Now flip over the cling film from the edge closest to you up over the breast followed by the opposite layer over the breast. Now twist each end to enclose the duck and roll on the table top while continuing to tightly hold each end. With each roll, the duck breast and leg will get tighter. Tie each loose end together to make the duck keeps its shape. Repeat with the remaining legs and breasts. Add the cardamom and star anise to a dry pan and dry roast on a high heat until smoking.

Place 20 cardamom pods and all six duck portions into a pot and cover with warm water. Add the oranges, the star anise and tea bags. Bring to the boil then turn down to a low simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from the heat but keep the duck in the cooking liquor. Leave to cool in a large bowl in the stock and put in the fridge to fuse overnight.

Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees/gas 3. While the oven is pre-heating add the maple syrup, remaining cardamom, Grand Marnier and honey to a pot and bring to the boil, then turn it off.

Remove the duck from the cling film and place breast side up on a roasting tray. Pour over the maple cardamom sauce and place it in the oven. Baste the sauce over the breast every five minutes and cook for 45 minutes, or until it’s hot, crisp and sticky. Serve with summer greens, soba noodles, rice or even sautéed potatoes.