Duck, cherry and tarragon salad with hazelnuts and sweet balsamic dressing

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Put the balsamic in a small pan and reduce to just less than half. Stir in the honey, then sit the base in a large bowl of cold water and leave to get cold.

Score the duck skin at 1.5cm intervals and season on both sides. Pour 1tbsp of the cold balsamic mixture in a dish just large enough to take the duck breasts side by side, reserving the rest for later. Add half the tarragon then put the duck, skin side up, on top (you don’t want the liquid on the skin). Cover and marinate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Lift the duck out of the balsamic marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Pat the duck dry and put it in a cold non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until the fat renders off and the skin is nicely golden. Take the duck out of the pan and pour off the fat, then wipe the pan with kitchen paper. Put the duck back into the pan skin side up and tuck the tarragon branches from the marinade underneath.

If your pan handle isn’t ovenproof, wrap well in foil before putting in the oven for 10 minutes for rare. Put the duck on a plate to rest for 45 minutes-1 hour. Put the balsamic used for marinating the duck in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to cool and add the reserved balsamic mixture. When the duck has cooled, pour any juices that have come out of the meat into the balsamic mixture. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil and season.

Remove the core from the radicchio, shred and put in a serving bowl. Add the Little Gem lettuce leaves, along with sprigs from the rest of the tarragon.

Slice the duck breasts and arrange on top, then add the cherries. Drizzle over the dressing and scatter with the crushed hazelnuts to serve.