Canard à la Lavande...Canard à la Lavande et Cerises

Pan-seared Magret duck breast served over a velvety celeriac-vanilla puree, drizzled with an aromatic culinary lavender and tart cherry gastrique.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a medium saucepan, combine the diced celeriac, milk, heavy cream, the scraped vanilla seeds, and the empty vanilla pod. Season with a pinch of salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the celeriac is completely fork-tender.

2. 02

   Remove the vanilla pod from the celeriac mixture. Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and process until completely smooth and velvety. Emulsify by adding 20g of cold cubed butter while blending. Adjust seasoning and pass through a fine chinois. Keep warm.

3. 03

   Score the fat of the duck breasts in a tight diamond pattern, making sure not to cut into the meat. Season both sides generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

4. 04

   Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low to slowly render the fat. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crispy, discarding excess fat as it accumulates. Turn the breasts over and sear the flesh side for 3-4 minutes until medium-rare. Transfer to a warm plate and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. 05

   Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of duck fat from the skillet. Add the minced shallot and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the honey and allow it to slightly caramelize for 1 minute.

6. 06

   Deglaze the skillet with red wine vinegar, scraping up any fond. Reduce by half. Add the duck stock, halved cherries, and culinary lavender. Simmer until the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency, about 5-6 minutes.

7. 07

   Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, reserving the cooked cherries separately. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 30g of cold cubed butter to create a glossy, rich glaze. Return the cherries to the sauce.

8. 08

   Slice the rested duck breast on the bias. To serve, spoon a generous pool of celeriac-vanilla puree onto each plate. Fan the sliced duck breast over the puree. Spoon the cherry-lavender gastrique over the duck and finish with a sprinkle of Fleur de sel.