To continue the story, two years after the Goosnargh chicken had been hatched, along came Reg Johnson’s now famous Goosnargh duck. The long list of illustrious chefs who have bought from Reg include Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Mark Hix, to name just a few. The ducks really are special and have the true flavour of poultry from years gone by.
Here’s a recipe for duckling with an apple juice sauce that I have cooked at home on many occasions. Try serving the duck with roast baby onions and summer turnips.
What you need
2 double crowns of duck breast per person
150ml apple juice
150ml chicken stock
Half a tea spoon of arrowroot
2 tea spoons of butter
What you do
Cook the duck breast in a pan or roasting dish skin side down and roast at 225 degrees celsius/gas mark 7 or 8 for about 10-15 minutes. Let it cool.
To remove the breasts from the bone, insert a small knife along the backbone; using the tip of the knife, slowly ease the meat away. Trim any sinew from underneath the breast bone. Place on a grill tray fat upwards ready to be grilled to a crisp finish just before serving.
For the apple juice sauce, dissolve the arrowroot in a little cold water. Boil the apple juice and stock until it has reduced by half. Add the arrowroot, whisk in the butter and serve.
Next week I’ll share some delicious strawberry recipes.
-Paul Heathcote
