Apple & Cider Duck Roast

This Christmas was the first time I have cooked any type of duck. For this recipe I used a young duck, which we call 'Canette' here in France. It doesn't yield very much meat but it is a real delicacy. Tender & delicious slow cooked with cider, apples & winter spices. This dish pairs wonderfully with roasted potatoes; even better if they cooked with a little duck fat.

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 whole duck (roughly 1.2kg)

2 onions, finely chopped

4 sweet apples, cored & quartered

30cl of dry cider

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground pink pepper

2 star anise

1 tsp cinnamon

Olive oil

Salt

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 180c for fan assisted ovens & 200c for traditional ovens.

Warm a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

Brown the duckling on all sides & set aside.

Add the onion & simmer 3 minutes or until softened.

Place the casserole dish on the stove at medium heat.

Add the onion, cider, honey, pepper, star anise, cinnamon & bring to a simmer to combine all ingredients. Season with salt & add the duckling to the casserole dish, basting well with the sauce.

Place the casserole dish in the oven for 1 hour & 30 minutes, basting every half an hour.

Add the apples & return to the oven a further 30 minutes.

Serve the duckling on a tray, surrounded by the apples & with the sauce on the side.

You may choose to thicken the sauce slightly by simmer it for 2 minutes with 1 tsp on cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cornflour.