CRISPY SKIN DUCK, BURNT ONION, FENNEL & CHERRIES SERVES 4

WHIP UP CONTESTANT AARON SANDER’S DELICIOUS DUCK DISH THAT WOWED THE JUDGES!

CHERRY SAUCE

• 4 chicken wings, chopped

• 5 fennel stalks

• 1 carrot

• ½ brown onion • rind and juice 1 orange

• 60ml Grand Marnier

• 500ml chicken stock

• 20 cherries

• 2 tsp butter

• Salt and pepper

FENNEL & TARRAGON OIL

• Fronds from 2 small fennel bulbs

• Half bunch tarragon

• 200ml light olive oil

• Salt

DUCK BREAST & BURNT ONION

• 2 duck breasts, skin on

• 6 golden shallots, cut in half lengthways

• salt flakes

PICKLED FENNEL

• 1 small fennel bulb, fronds reserved

• 2 tbsp salt flakes

• 2½ tbsp caster sugar

• 200ml apple cider vinegar

• Fennel fronds and micro herbs, to garnish

1 Preheat oven to 175°C (fan forced). Bring a small saucepan of water to the

boil. Prepare an ice bath in a small bowl.

2 CHERRY SAUCE Place chopped chicken wings into medium frypan over medium heat. Roughly chop vegetables, add to pan and cook until lightly charred, about 6 to 10 mins.

3 Add orange rind, then deglaze pan with the Grand Marnier. Add stock and bring to boil. Add 14 of the cherries to sauce and press with wooden spoon to release the juices.

4 Simmer until reduced by half and strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.

5 Return to a simmer and add juice of half an orange. Continue to simmer until sauce starts to thicken, about 25 mins.

6 Cut remaining cherries in half, discard seeds and add to the sauce. Remove cherries and set aside for serving.

7 Whisk in butter, then remove from heat. Season to taste. Rewarm gently to serve.

8 FENNEL & TARRAGON OIL Blanch herbs in boiling water for 30 secs. Transfer to ice bath to cool. Drain and squeeze out excess water using paper towel. Place into canister of a stick blender and cover with oil. Add a pinch of salt, then blend until smooth. Set aside for 10 mins, then strain through muslin-lined sieve. Season to taste, transfer to a squeeze bottle and set

aside in fridge until required.

9 DUCK BREAST & BURNT ONION Score skin without reaching the breast itself. Salt skin and place skin-side down into a cold, extra large, ovenproof pan. Add shallots, cut-side down and place over low heat. Cook duck for around 10-12 mins, slowly increasing the heat slowly as the fat starts to render.

10 Once skin is rendered, turn duck and colour flesh for around 1 min before transferring to oven. Cook until internal temperature of the thickest part of the duck breast reaches 56-57°C, about 6-8 mins. Remove from oven and rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes before cutting each breast in half.

11 PICKLED FENNEL Cut fennel bulb in half. Carefully slice fennel on the cut side of a mandolin. Take care to maintain the shape and trim out the excess core. Cover slices in salt and sugar, then the apple cider vinegar. Set aside until serving.

12 To serve, place 3 shallot halves on each plate, followed by some drained pickled fennel. Place cherry halves onto the plate, then a portion of duck. Garnish with fennel fronds and micro herbs. Pour sauce over duck and dot plate with fennel and tarragon oil.

From next issue, we’ll be sharing the best Masterchef recipe of the week in our food pages!