Ingredients
- 4 duck breasts, skins on
- olive oil, for brushing
- 450g plums, halved and stoned
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 150ml dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- seasoning
Method
- Make the sauce: put the plums into a pan with the cinnamon, white wine and bay leaf. Place over a medium heat and bring gently to the boil. Half cover and simmer gently until the plums have collapsed to a purée; discard the cinnamon and bay leaf. Pass the plums through a sieve or use the fine blade on a liquidiser. Stir in the sugar, sherry vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside until needed.
- Preheat the grill. When guests are assembled, start grilling the duck. Place the breasts, skin side to the heat, on a rack about 7.5cm/3in away from the grill and cook until browned and crisp. Turn the breasts over, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill for 4 minutes. Rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
- Stir any juices from the duck into the plum sauce. If you have time, slice each duck breast and fan out on individual plates with a spoonful of sauce elegantly drizzled over. Alternatively, serve whole with the sauce on the side.
Notes
If you don't want to grill the breasts, you can roast them in a hot oven instead, though you lose out on the hint of smokiness that grilling gives. To roast in the oven, preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8. Brush the cut sides of the breasts with oil and rub salt and pepper into the skin. Lay the duck on a rack, skin side up, and cook for 10-15 minutes until well browned. Rest the meat for about 5 minutes before slicing.