Growing up as a child we used to have duck quite a lot, sometimes with a Sunday roast or simply with chips. When I met Dean he told me that two of his favourite foods were duck and mushrooms and it just so happens that this recipe is one of his all-time favourites! We love trying different kinds of mushrooms in our risotto but this is the best one we’ve done as we managed to get hold of some very nice morel mushrooms online. They aren’t cheap but they’re definitely worth it!
A few years ago we had a sous-vide for Christmas and after experimenting with many different meats, we’ve decided duck breast is the best thing we have done in it. It keeps the meat extremely tender and bursting with flavour. I’d definitely recommend everyone getting themselves a sous vide.
The challenge with cooking the duck that way is getting the skin crispy without then overcooking the meat. The best way to do this is place the meat in a scorchingly hot pan and don’t drain the fat away as it will begin to shallow fry the thick skin. Also don’t forget to pat the skin dry, score it and rub in sea salt before cooking it.
Wild Mushroom Risotto with Duck Breast
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts
- 180 g risotto rice
- 400 g assorted wild mushrooms (try morels – they are amazing!)
- 1 porcini stock cube plus any extra stock from soaking the mushrooms
- 1 large onion
- 75 ml white wine
- 1 clove of garlic
- 25 grams Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried thyme or fresh thyme
- dried italian herbs
Instructions
- If you have a sous vide season the duck breast with pepper a few drops of truffle oil (optional) and some thyme. Submerge the meat at 57 degrees for 3 hours. If you haven’t got a sous vide then preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas 7. Pat the duck dry, score the skin and rub a few pinches of salt into it. Pan fry your duck skin side down for 5-6 minutes on a high heat. Turn your duck over and place in the oven for 15 minutes for medium rare.
- If using dried mushrooms rehydrate them with 450ml of boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Chop your onion in to small cubes and add to the pan with a little oil. When the onion has become soft add the wine and stir for a few minutes until the alcohol has burnt off.
- Add the mushrooms and stir in well. Then add the chopped garlic.
- Add the rice and stir in well for a few minutes. Add boiling water to the porcini stock cube – about 450ml. Gradually add the stock and keep stirring constantly, more stock may be required. Add your Italian herbs and parmesan cheese.
- Keep adding the stock and constantly stirring until your rice is tender enough to eat. This should take about 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If using a sous vide, take your duck out and pat it dry. Score the skin and rub salt into it. Add the duck to a red hot pan and fry for 3-5 minutes until skin is crispy. Don’t be tempted to drain the fat as it will begin to shallow fry the skin.
- Leave duck to rest for a few minutes then slice into 1 inch pieces.
- When your rice is ready add to the bowl and place the duck on top of the rice.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tip
Without the duck the risotto makes a great vegetarian dish. You could also add some fresh truffle to the dish to give it a touch of luxury.
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