1 Duck breast in raspberry jam herb marinade with caramelised onion and spinach salad

Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube

Serves:4 Time: 1hr20min Level: Easy

INGREDIENTS 200g raspberry jam Small handful thyme leaves Small handful rosemary leaves, finely chopped 10ml (2 tsp) paprika 1 lemon, to squeeze 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed 4 duck breasts (about 1kg) Smoked salt flakes, to taste CARAMELISED ONION 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil 30g bu er 3 medium red onions, peeled and sliced 10ml (2 tsp) sugar 10ml (2 tsp) balsamic vinegar Salt, to taste SPINACH SALAD 80g baby spinach leaves 80g gooseberries, some whole, others halved 80g radishes, thinly sliced 100g feta, cubed 40g flaked almonds, toasted

HOW TO DO IT

1. For the marinade, combine the raspberry jam, thyme leaves, rosemary leaves, paprika, a squeeze lemon juice and crushed garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Place the duck breasts in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them. Make sure the marinade coats the meat entirely. Cover and refrigerate, 1 hour. Remove the duck breasts from the marinade, scrape the marinade off the meat and season with smoked salt to taste. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the duck breasts, skin side down first, 5 minutes; then flip over and fry the other side, 5 minutes.

2. To caramelise the onions, heat the oil and bu er in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from burning. When the onions are so ened and golden in colour, add the sugar and balsamic vinegar – this will put the caramelisation process in motion. Season to taste. Cook the onions a further 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sticky and caramelised.

3. Slice the duck breasts and place on 4 serving plates. Arrange the spinach, gooseberries and radish slices around the plates. Sca er the feta, caramelised onions and toasted almond flakes over.