This deliciously sweet sauce with the flavours of mulled wine is a perfect accompaniment for duck.
Combined with the sweet, salty and sour flavours of the glaze and accompanying persimmon relish, this is a dish that will impress anyone you serve it to.
Never cooked duck at home? Give these recipes a go for Australia’s inaugural National Duck Day on Tuesday, May 23.
Fortune favours those who plan ahead. This recipe takes about eight hours all up, but there's little toil in that time. I really like this beetroot relish, so use it with lots of barbecued or roasted meats it works a treat. Speaking of which, make sure you serve this duck with some sauteed spinach, silverbeet or kale, whichever you like best.
This wintry dish would go well with an earthy pinot. You could replace the cavolo nero with kale, or broccolini sauteed with garlic. Duck breasts are now commonly available from supermarkets.
Exotic and captivating, this salad is a dinner host's secret weapon. With pops of herbs, heat, and sweet and sour notes, the contrast between the pickled watermelon and the crisp, salty duck is a revelation. A perfect starter for warmer days ahead.
Sweet citrus and warm spices complement duck so well, especially the legs. The carrots – which are stunning with anise – add a rich, vegetable sweetness, perfectly marrying with the intense flavour of the bird. This is a very hearty and technically simple braise – and a wonderful surprise for those who think that duck is only for restaurants! Meanwhile, you'll be left with a stunning sauce that just begs to be soaked up with mashed potato, cous cous or tiny, buttered pasta.
This recipe, one of my favourites, makes sublimely good use of summer mangoes. It also requires you to be patient: start marinating the duck 24 hours before you need it.
This is a restaurant dish but is very easy to achieve at home, as long as the duck breast is not overcooked. It can just as easily be prepared with quail, which is a lot more forgiving.
Making a spice paste is a breeze with a food processor or blender. Red curry paste combines beautifully with Chinese roast duck. Its origin is said to be Bangkok, where large numbers of Chinese settled. Traditionally local eggplants are used but nowadays it is possible to find versions with tomatoes, pineapple, red capsicums and lychees.