Duck with apple, cabbage, fennel and walnuts

Tamara West

When cooking duck you do not need to add any oil to the frying pan (i.e. heat a dry frying pan) as there will be plenty of fat/oil that renders out from the duck. Unlike chicken, duck breast should be cooked medium and still be a slight rosy pink colour inside.

Ingredients

4	Duck breasts, at room temperature (Main)
¼ cup	Creme fraiche
2 Tbsp	Mayonnaise, good quality (I used Japanese)
½ tsp	Dijon mustard
½	Lemons, juiced
3 Tbsp	Parsley, finely chopped
1	Apple, ballarat, braeburn or granny smith, very thinly sliced
1 ½ cups	Purple cabbage, finely shredded
1	Fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
⅓ cup	Walnuts, roughly chopped
1 drizzle	Runny honey

Directions

1. Trim duck breasts of overhanging excess fat. Score skin in 1-2cm intervals with a very sharp knife (this will help the fat render out). Pat duck breasts dry with a paper towel and season well with salt.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium to high heat. Cook duck breasts, skin-side down, in hot pan for 6-8 minutes until most of the fat has rendered out, then flip over and cook a further 2-4 minutes on the flesh side until cooked medium. You may need to cook the duck in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Rest duck breasts for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the salad.
3. Mix creme fraiche, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice and parsley together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Toss apple, cabbage, fennel and walnuts with dressing and divide between serving plates. Slice duck breasts and arrange slices on top of salad. Drizzle with a little bit of honey if desired.