RECIPE OF THE DAY

SMOKED DUCK AND RED WINE POACHED PEAR SALAD By Simon Attridge, Executive Chef at Gleneagles

Serves 4 INGREDIENTS:

2 good quality smoked duck breasts 2 chicory 2 baby gem lettuces 8 large new potatoes Olive oil 150g Arran blue cheese Sea salt For the poached pears: 4 conference pears, peeled 375ml red wine 100ml Cassis 100g sugar 1 cinnamon stick 4 cloves 4 star anise 5g fresh ginger, grated 1 orange, zest only 1 lemon, zest only For the candied walnuts: 20 walnuts 55g butter 70g brown sugar For the vinaigrette: 5ml sherry vinegar 15ml white wine vinegar 60ml olive oil Sea salt and pepper To serve: Fresh bread

METHOD: In advance:

1 First, make red wine poached pears. These need to be prepared and cooked 3 days in advance to take on the colour and flavour of the wine and aromatics. Boil the red wine, then light it to burn off alcohol. Add Cassis and sugar to pan and then add pears, and rest of ingredients to pan and bring to boil. Cover in a cartouche (a circle or baking paper to keep steam in) and simmer pears until they are just cooked. Take pan off heat and leave pears in liquor to cool. 2 Once cooled, put pears in a plastic container and strain liquor back on to pears as they should remain submerged whilst stored. Reduce some of leftover liquor to a syrup for when you serve salad. 3 Next, prepare the candied walnuts. Make a light caramel with the butter and sugar and then fold in nuts. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 160°C for about 25 minutes on a non-stick mat, moving every 5 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and then allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. On the day of serving: 1 First, prepare the potatoes. Cook in lightly salted water until they still have a little bit of crunch and then refresh them under cold water. Pat potatoes dry and then chargrill on a griddle pan with a little olive oil until they take on a char marks. 2 Next, make the vinaigrette. Whisk all ingredients together, season with a little salt and pepper and set aside. 3 Thinly slice smoked duck breast and cut poached pears so you do not use the seeds or stalk that runs down the middle of the pear. 4 Finally, assemble salad. Build it in serving bowl with washed chicory and baby gem lettuce and chargrilled potatoes as the base. Add duck and pears and then rustically crumble blue cheese on top. Break up candied walnuts over the top of the salad and dress with reduced pear cooking liquor and vinaigrette. Serve with warm, fresh bread.