Cherry-smoked duck breast salad

Serves 4 as an appetiser Starters and mains

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Method

Put all of the ingredients for the cure in a bowl and mix well. Put half of the cure in a non-reactive plastic container and put the duck breasts, skin-side up, on top. Cover them completely with the remaining cure and put them somewhere cool for 20 minutes.

While the duck is in the cure, put the chicory, rocket and wild leaves in a bowl. Drizzle lightly with the lemon juice and 1tbsp of the oil and season. Toss well.

Heat a pan over a medium heat and add 1tbsp of the oil. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Set the pan aside.

Remove the duck from the cure, rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. They should be slightly firm to the touch.

Prepare the hot smoker by putting a thin layer of cherry sawdust on the base of the smoker, then place the smoker directly on top of the fire or hob. Once it starts to smoke, add the breasts and close the smoker. Smoke for a maximum of 5 minutes. Any longer than that and you risk them becoming slightly overpowering and acrid.

Reheat the pan you made the croutons in over a medium heat. Add the butter and, once it has melted, add the duck breasts, skin-side down. Cook for 10 minutes until the fat has rendered and the skin has started to crisp up nicely. Flip them once and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 55C for a nice pink centre. Remove them from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving into slices.

To serve, divide the salad onto 4 plates and arrange the slices of duck breast on each plate. Sprinkle with the croutons and pomegranate seeds, and grate some of the cured egg yolk over the top. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Cured egg yolks

MAKES 6

In a non-reactive plastic container, mix together the salt, sugar, garlic granules and bay leaves. Transfer half of the cure to a bowl and set aside, then level out the cure remaining in the container so that it is around 1-2cm deep. Using an uncracked egg, make 6 evenly spaced depressions in the cure for the egg yolks to sit in.

Crack 1 of the eggs over a clean bowl and pour the contents into your hand. Jiggle the yolk between your fingers and let the egg white slip through into the bowl until you have a white-free yolk, then gently slip the yolk into the depression you made in the cure. Repeat with the other eggs.

Gently pour the other half of the cure over the yolks, covering them completely. Put the lid on and store, chilled, for 3 days.

After 3 days, take the yolks out of the container and rinse them gently under cold water to remove the cure, then gently pat them dry on kitchen paper. They should be slightly translucent, firm to the touch and a golden colour.

To finish, preheat the oven to 100C/80C Fan/Gas 1⁄2 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the yolks to the baking tray and put them in the oven for 11⁄2 hours or in a dehydrator for 2 hours. Alternatively, you can cold-smoke the egg yolks for 2-3 hours using a cold-smoke generator. The cured yolks will keep for up to 3 weeks, chilled, in a sealed container.

TIP: You can use the egg whites from this recipe to make meringues or freeze them for up to 12 months to use another time.