“A simple and very tasty recipe. Look out for free-range or organic duck from a farm shop and try different wood types for smoking the duck—the BBQ is a good place to experiment outside. The wonderfully bitter endive leaves work well with the smokiness of the duck and crunch of the hazelnuts.”

Serves 4 as a starter
Prep time: 1 hour plus overnight for the smoking; Cooking time 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 large breast of duck

2 oranges, skin removed and cut into segments, retain the juice as a dressing

2 tablespoons of peeled hazelnuts, roasted and crushed

2 handfuls of watercress, thoroughly washed

2 beetroots, scrubbed, skin on and boiled for about an hour and a half until tender, remove skin by scraping under water, use different types for a different taste and colour

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

A few endive leaves

Good salt and pepper

Brine for the duck:

1/2 bottle of red wine

2 star anise

A few peppercorns

50g dark brown sugar

50g salt

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

A few thyme sprigs

To smoke the duck:

2 tablespoons of rice

2 tablespoons oak smoke chips

METHOD

Bring all the brine ingredients to the boil and cool. Place the duck breast into the cold brine and leave overnight in the fridge. Remove, pat dry and return to the fridge for a few hours to neutralise the saltiness with the sugar.

Next to hot smoke, make a small pillowcase with tin foil and make holes in the top sheet. Fill the foil parcel with 2 tablespoons of rice and 2 of oak smoke chips. Seal the edges up and place the pillow in an old pot or tray and place on a hob (with extraction) or on the BBQ outside. Lay a cooling wire on top of the pot and place the duck onto that. Then place another pot, upside down, on top of the duck creating an oven of sorts with enough room for the smoke to move around.

Turn the heat on to high and smoke the duck for between 10 and 15 minutes, do not leave this unattended, then remove the duck. Be careful as it’s hot and very smoky. Then place the duck into a hot oven (210°C) for 5 to 10 minutes to finish the cooking. Remove the duck from the oven and allow to cool in the fridge or by a cool window before carving into slivers.

To assemble the dish, remove the skin from the beetroot and cut into wedges and arrange on plates with the endive leaves and orange segments. Lay slivers of duck onto the salads and top with watercress leaves and hazelnuts. Finish by trickling on the orange juice and the olive oil and seasoning with good salt and pepper.