Tea smoked duck with baby cabbage, cream peas and leeks

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 Earl Grey and jasmine tea bags
5 tbsp rice
2–4 tbsp soft brown sugar
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Freedom Food labelled duck breasts
...for the cabbage, creamy peas and leeks
25g butter
1 baby Savoy cabbage, quartered
3 baby leeks, sliced thinly
100g frozen peas, defrosted
100ml Freedom Food labelled cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C, Gas 6.

Be sure to cover the whole pan or it will ruin. Empty the tea bags and mix together with the rice and sugar and put it in the bottom of the pan or wok.

Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife then season with salt and pepper. Place the breasts on a rack and then place the rack in the pan over the sugar, rice and tea mixture. Heat the pan uncovered, over a moderate heat until the mixture begins to smoulder, about 2–3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and smoke the duck for 10 minutes. Make sure you keep the area well ventilated by opening doors and windows since this will generate a lot of smoke! Remove the roasting pan from the heat.

To finish cooking the duck, heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Fry the breasts, skin side down, for 8–10 minutes. Pour away any excess fat from the pan and add a knob of butter. Turn the breasts over and place in the oven to finish cooking for a further 5–10 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts and how well done you like them.

Remove the duck from the oven and allow to rest while cooking the vegetables. Place the cabbage quarters in boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 3–5 minutes. Drain.

Heat the butter in another pan and add the leeks, stir-fry for 4–6 minutes or until just tender, then add the peas and cream and heat until just boiling. Slice the duck on the diagonal and serve with the cabbage topped with the cream peas and leeks.