Duck with pear, endive, gorgonzola and walnut salad
This crisp salad is full of flavour and texture from the creamy blue cheese, crunchy walnuts and, zingy grapefruit and sweet pear, that’s the perfect partner to duck.
Ingredients
- 1 red endive, leaves picked
- 1 yellow endive, leaves picked
- ½ bunch watercress, leaves picked
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú gorgonzola
- 100ml/3½fl oz milk
- 30ml/1fl oz olive oil
- 1 pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments, juice reserved
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú sugar
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú walnuts
- vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 1 duck breast, skin scored
- 1 comice pear, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the endive and watercress leaves in the ice water.
Put the gorgonzola and milk in a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Pour the cheese mixture into a food processor with the olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice and blend until emulsified. Set aside.
Put the sugar in a pan with 200ml/7fl oz water and bring to the boil. Add the walnuts and cook for 2 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Drain the walnuts very well and carefully deep-fry for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside to cool, before roughly chopping.
Season the duck breast well and place skin-side down into a cold pan. Cook gently over a low heat, to render the fat, continually basting with the fat that renders out. (This will take around 10 minutes.) Turn the duck breast over and allow to rest in the pan until it reaches a medium-rare. Cook for a few minutes more if you prefer well-done. Carve just before serving.
To assemble the salad, drain the endive and watercress and put in a large bowl with the grapefruit segments, pear slices, walnuts and a spoonful of the blue cheese dressing and carefully toss together. Serve with the duck.