Roasted Duck Breasts with Butternut Squash, Braised Chestnuts and Plum Sauce

Serves 4
Created by Raymond Blanc

Fresh chestnuts are best for this dish, but peeling them at home can be tricky and time consuming. You can now buy vacuum-packed or frozen peeled chestnuts, which make a good alternative. The sauce can be made in advance; the chestnuts can be cooked 6 hou

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Roasted Duck Breasts with Butternut Squash, Braised Chestnuts and Plum Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 Organic or free-range duck breasts (half breasts) on the bone, weighing about 220g (8oz) each, skin scored
• 4 pinches of sea salt
• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

For the Plum Sauce
• 300ml rd wine, preferably Cabernet Sauvignon
• ½ Cinnamon stick
• 1 slice orange
• 1 bay leaf
• 75g 3oz) best quality Agen prunes, pitted
• 2 teaspoons Demerara (light-brown) sugar
• 120ml brown chicken stock
• 15g raw duck foie gras, optional
• 3 pinches of sea salt
• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

For the braised chestnuts
• 30g unsalted buter
• 1 celery stick, cut into sliced 1cm (½ inch) thick
• 1 Braeburn apple, skin on, cored and cut into 2cm (¾ inch) dice
• 200g (7oz) chestnuts, peeled
• 200ml(7oz) water or light chicken stock
• 3 pinches of sea salt
• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pinches of caster (superfine)m sugar
• a squeeze of lemon juice

For the roast butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon groundnut (peanut) oil or other unscented oil
• 20g unsalted butter
• 500g (18oz) butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut across into four 1.5cm (¾ inch) slices
• 300g (10oz) parsnips, peeled and cut lengthways into quarters
• 4 pinches of sea salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. First make the sauce. Boil the red wine, cinnamon stick, orange slice and bay leaf together until the wine has reduced by half. Remove from the heat, add the prunes and leave to marinate for 2 hours. Remove the cinnamon, orange slice and bay leaf from the mixture. In a medium pan, soften the Demerara sugar on the stove, then add the reduced red wine, marinated prunes and the chicken and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and blend for 1 minute in a liquidizer (blender). Add the foie gras, if using, and continue to blend for 30 seconds. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, with sea salt and black pepper.
2. For the braised chestnuts, melt the butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat and sweat the celery, apple and chestnuts in it for 4 minutes. Pour in water or stock, bring to the boil and season with sea salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat (with bubbles just breaking the surface) for 20 minutes, until soft and melting.
3. Season the duck breasts with sea salt and pepper. Place them skin side down in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, pouring off excess fat every 2 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp. Turn the duck on to the flesh side and sear for 1 minute to lock the juices inside during cooking. Turn back on to the skin side and place in a preheated oven to 180 degC/350 degF/Gas Mark 4. Cook for 4 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to rest for 4 minutes.
4. While the skin of the duck is rendering, cook the butternut squash. Heat the groundnut oil and butter in a large ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat, add the butternut squash slices and parsnips and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes on each side, until coloured, then transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking for 4 minutes.
5. Top serve, put a slice of butternut squash in the centre plate and top with the duck breasts. Rest the parsnips against the duck and scatter the chestnuts, apple and celery around the outside. Spoon the hot sauce generously around the plate.