Duck Crown with Pomegranate Sauce

Duck ... not the healthiest by any stretch of the imagination, but great for a treat meal. To remove the skin from the duck before cooking would be a crime against nature, DON'T DO IT! Enjoy the wonderful fatty, crispy skin and savour it, then be healthy for the rest of the week. Duck crown is the breast on the bone, which gives it maximum flavour, and can be bought in most supermarkets.

Ingredients

1 duck crown

Sea salt and black pepper to season

1 shallot

Rapeseed oil

2 pomegranates

Squeeze of lemon juice

¼ of a vegetable stock cube

1 teaspoon cornflour

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.

• Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck in criss-cross fashion, cutting down to the flesh but not into it. Season the skin with salt and pepper, rubbing it into the scores.

• Heat a pan on a hot hob to smoking point, then place the duck on it, skin-side down and cook for 2–4 minutes getting colour all over and ensuring the skin crisps up. Turn it over and cook for a further 3 minutes before transferring to an oven dish and roasting, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes.

• Peel and finely chop the shallot. Add some oil to a clean frying pan and fry the shallot gently until softened but not coloured. Cut the pomegranates in half and firmly squeeze out the juice into the pan, letting whatever seeds fall out remain there, then add a squeeze of lemon juice. Let the juice reduce by about half, then add in 200ml of hot water, crumble in the ¼ stock cube and stir until dissolved. Bring this to the boil.

• In the meantime, combine the cornflour with a little water in a cup to make a thick paste. When the sauce in the pan is bubbling, add the paste and stir rapidly, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

• When the duck is cooked, remove onto a plate, cover with a sheet of foil and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

• To serve, carefully cut the breast off the bone in two pieces or in slices, and pour the delicious sauce on the side.