Canard Poêlé aux Mûres...Canard Poêlé aux Mûres et Lavande, Purée de Céleri-Rave

Pan-seared Muscovy duck breast served with a shimmering blackberry and culinary lavender glaze, paired with a silken brown butter celeriac purée.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Place diced celeriac into a saucepan with heavy cream, thyme sprigs, and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until completely tender.

2. 02

   In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, swirling constantly until milk solids turn golden brown and nutty-scented (beurre noisette). Immediately transfer to a heat-safe bowl to stop cooking.

3. 03

   Remove thyme from the celeriac. Transfer cooked celeriac and cream into a high-speed blender, pour in the beurre noisette, and blend on high for 2 minutes until ultra-smooth. Pass through a fine mesh chinois, season with salt, and keep warm.

4. 04

   Season duck breasts generously with sea salt. Place skin-side down in a cold stainless steel or cast-iron skillet. Turn heat to low-medium and render fat slowly for 12-14 minutes, spooning away excess fat, until the skin is deep golden and razor-crisp.

5. 05

   Flip duck breasts and sear the flesh side for 2-3 minutes until medium-rare (internal temperature reaches 54°C/130°F). Transfer duck to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil to rest for 8 minutes.

6. 06

   In the same skillet with 1 tablespoon of rendered duck fat remaining, sweat the minced shallot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Deglaze with Cognac, flambéing if desired, and scrape up cooked fond.

7. 07

   Add veal demi-glace, blackberries, and culinary lavender to the skillet. Simmer gently for 5-6 minutes until berries burst and sauce reduces to a glossy napé consistency. Strain through a chinois, gently pressing berries to extract juice.

8. 08

   Carve each duck breast against the grain into thin slices. Swoosh a generous spoon of hot brown butter celeriac purée across each warm plate, fan the duck breast alongside, and spoon the glistening lavender-blackberry glaze over top. Finish with Fleur de sel and cracked pink pepper.