FOOD AND SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
Duck and pudding
Jennifer Paterson
WHAT A VERY cold start to September. The central heating has come on by itself, although set very low, but I feel we will have one of those glorious golden spells later in the month. It was the birthday of Our Lady on Tuesday, 8 September so per- haps things will take a turn for the better. I have made my annual pilgrimage to Cum- berland to mine splendid host Patricius Senhouse and found a very exotic receipt in his kitchen drawer which he cooked whilst we were there. The flavour is reminiscent of mallard served with sauce bigarade made from bitter oranges but it has that East-meets-West combination which is delicious despite Mr Kipling's objections. Anyhow, here it is:
Honey-glazed duck with ginger and grapefruit sauce
4 to 5 breast fillets of duck 1 tablespoon of clear honey 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
For the sauce:
3 pink grapefruit 2 oz granulated sugar /pint of grapefruit juice (from above fruit) 2 tablespoons of clear honey 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce Juice of one lemon I desert spoon of freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon of cornflour 2 tablespoons of water Salt and pepper
I bought the duck breasts at Sainsburys and they were huge — one was enough for two people. Make the sauce first, the day before if you like. Peel the grapefruit with a
very sharp stainless steel knife over a large soup plate, thus preserving every drop of juice. Remove all pith and cut the segments from their skin, then squeeze all juice from the remains (this comes to about 72 a pint). separate from the segments. Place the sugar in a dry saucepan over a gentle heat. When it begins to melt stir until it is caramelised. It will start to bubble and rise. Remove from the heat and continue stir- ring until it subsides. Pour in the grapefruit juice at your peril as it may splatter alarm- ingly. Return to the heat and add the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and grated ginger. Stir until simmering and the caramel has dissolved. Blend the water and the cornflour together and mix into the sauce, stirring continually until it becomes thick and clear. Add a good grinding of pepper and a bit of salt to your own taste. Finally add the grapefruit segments.
Back to the duck — prick the skins all over, set them skin side up on a rack in a roasting tin with a little water at the bot tom. Blend the honey and the soy sauce together and paint over the skins. Cook in a preheated oven at Gas 6, 400F, 205C, for 30 minutes or until skin is crisp. Remove from the rack and carve the duck diagonal- ly into slices about 74" thick. Lay them on a charming hot charger and pour the sauce over them. Serve with little potatoes, baby carrots and common old frozen peas or perhaps plain rice and a lovely green salad.
Eton College was founded on this 12 September 1440, so I thought I would dedi- cate this forgotten pudding to the headmas- ter, Eric Anderson, my friend and fan.
V: pint breadcrumbs 3 oz finely chopped suet 2 oz sugar 2 oz currants 2 oz sultanas or 1 oz shredded candied peel 2 eggs A pinch of nutmeg and salt A tablespoon of brandy
Mix the breadcrumbs, suet, sugar, cur- rants, sultanas or peel, salt and nutmeg together. Beat the eggs with the brandy
until frothy, then pour into the dry ingredi- ents and mix thoroughly. Cover the basin and let the mixture -stand for at least an hour for the bread to soak. Form the mix- ture into round or cork-shaped pieces. Fry very gently in butter with a touch of taste- less oil, turning them frequently. Serve as hot as possible with a good wine or brandy sauce. Or, if you prefer, put the mixture into well buttered dariole moulds and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes at Gas 5, 375F, 190C. Floreat Etona.
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