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Duck breast with spiced plums

If you want a super easy dish for special occasions (such as Christmas meal for two, Valentines day, Chines New Year, dinner parties and so on) this duck breast with spiced plums recipe could come in handy! It’s ready within 30 minutes and it’s really delicious. Serve it with a mash and some leafy vegetables.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Cuisine: Chinese, Fusion
Calories: 1234

Ingredients
  

  • 2 duck breasts
  • 1 tsp Chines five-spice powder
  • 4-6 ripe plums
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 red chilli optional
  • 1 Tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • Juice of half an orange
  • Juice of half a lime or lemon

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Halve the plums, remove the stones and cut into wedges. Place these in an oven-proof dish.
  3. Deseed the chilli and remove the veins if you don’t want the dish to have a kick. Chop the flesh finely and scatter these over the plums.
  4. Peel then cut the ginger into small sticks. Scatter these around the plumbs. Add the star anise. Sprinkle the sugar on top, then pour over the lime and orange juice. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the plums soften a bit.
  5. Meanwhile, score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife, then rub with the five-spice and some salt.
  6. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Place the duck in the pan, skin-side down, and cook for about 8 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Turn the duck over and cook the other side for 1 minute to sear.
  7. Transfer the breasts to the dish with the plums (skin-side up) and cook for 8-12 minutes to your liking. Turn off the oven.
  8. Transfer the duck to a warm plate and rest for 5 minutes under cover. Meanwhile keep the roasted plums warm in the oven.
  9. Slice the duck breasts and serve with the spiced plums and your chosen sides– pour some of the jus over the meat!