Canard à la Mûre...Canard à la Mûre et Purée de Panais au Vanille

Perfectly pan-seared duck breast with crispy skin, served alongside a silky vanilla-infused parsnip puree, sautéed wild chanterelles, and a glossy blackberry-port gastrique.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   For the parsnip puree: In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped parsnips, milk, heavy cream, and the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the parsnips are completely fork-tender, about 20 minutes.

2. 02

   Discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the tender parsnips and cooking liquid to a high-speed blender. Add 30g of the unsalted butter and blend on high until velvety smooth. Season to taste with fleur de sel and keep warm.

3. 03

   For the blackberry gastrique: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and red wine vinegar. Cook without stirring until it caramelizes into a light amber syrup. Stir in the minced shallot and cook for 1 minute.

4. 04

   Add the fresh blackberries, port wine, and duck stock to the gastrique base. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until reduced by half and glossy, lightly mashing the blackberries with a spoon. Strain through a fine-mesh chinois, pressing to extract all juices. Season with a pinch of salt and keep warm.

5. 05

   Using a very sharp knife, score the duck breast skin in a tight crosshatch pattern, taking care not to cut into the meat. Season both sides generously with fleur de sel and black pepper.

6. 06

   Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet. Place the skillet over medium-low heat to slowly render the fat and crisp the skin, about 10-12 minutes. Periodically pour off the rendered fat into a bowl (reserve for the mushrooms).

7. 07

   Flip the duck breasts over. Add the remaining 20g of butter, smashed garlic, and thyme sprigs to the pan. Baste the duck continuously with the foaming butter for 3-4 minutes, until medium-rare (internal temperature of 54°C / 130°F). Transfer to a warm plate and let rest for 8 minutes before slicing.

8. 08

   While the duck is resting, heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved duck fat in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chanterelle mushrooms until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with fleur de sel.

9. 09

   To serve: Spoon a generous swipe of the warm vanilla parsnip puree onto each plate. Slice the rested duck breasts at an angle and arrange over the puree. Garnish with the sautéed chanterelles and drizzle the glossy blackberry-port gastrique elegantly around the plate.