Wild mallard with roasted autumn fruits
Rich game balanced with the sweetness of pears, plums and blackberries. A simple, delicious taste of autumn.
Ingredients
Fresh ingredients
- 2 Mallards
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Zest & juice of one orange
- 75 g Butter
- 2 Pears
- 6 Plums
- 2 Red onions, peeled & quartered
- 200 g Blackberries
Store cupboard ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt flakes
- A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan
- Start by preparing the mallards: check that there are no feathery stubs attached to the skin and, if there are, remove these with a pair of tweezers.
- Season the cavities well with some salt and pepper and stuff with the thyme, orange zest and half the butter and set aside.
- Prepare the fruit, slice the pears in quarters, wash the plums and remove any stalks.
- Season the birds with a little salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in an oven-proof sauté or casserole pan over a medium heat and brown the birds well – this could take up to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast the birds for 15 minutes.
- Add the pears, plums and red onion and pour over the orange juice and Balsamic vinegar. After 10 minutes add the blackberries for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
- To check whether the duck is cooked, squeeze the breasts, they should be firm but slightly give to the touch.
- Transfer the birds to a board and cover loosely with some foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining butter to the cooking pan and put back over a medium heat to melt. Bring the cooking and fruit juices to a boil.
- Serve the ducks with the orchard fruits, red onion and roasting juices.