Ingredients
- For the red cabbage:
- 1 head of red cabbage, quartered and core removed
- 1tbs vegetable oil
- 2 star anise
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1tbs mixed spice
- 2tbs pre-made cranberry sauce
- 80g soft brown sugar
- 80ml red wine vinegar
- 50ml apple juice
- 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 green apples, cored and grated
- 1tbs salt
- Zest and juice of half an orange
- For the sauce à l'orange:
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 2 star anise
- 50ml Cointreau
- 100ml orange juice
- 1 litre brown chicken stock
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1tbs sherry vinegar
- 1tbs dried lavender
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 4 duck breasts, trimmed and scored (ask your butcher to do this)
- 1tbs honey
- Start by preheating your oven to 180 degrees. Next, thinly slice the red cabbage using a sharp knife or a mandolin; it should be even and almost wafer thin so it all cooks at the same time.
- Place a large oven-proof casserole dish on a medium heat and add the oil, then go in with the spices: star anise, cinnamon and mixed spice. Cook these off for a minute to release the aromas before increasing the heat and adding the cranberry sauce, sugar, red wine vinegar and apple juice.
- Allow the sugar to dissolve before adding the sliced cabbage, onion, grated apple and salt. Place a lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for one hour until the cabbage is soft and the liquid has evaporated. Finish by removing the star anise and the cinnamon stick. Season with the orange zest and juice and serve warm.
- When the red cabbage goes into the oven, start making the sauce. Heat a pot and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, the diced shallot and the star anise. Cook for three to four minutes on a medium heat, then carefully add the Cointreau and orange juice. Reduce the liquid by half, then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid right down until you have roughly 200ml left in the pot. Then remove from the heat and finish by adding the orange zest, sherry vinegar, dried lavender and seasoning with salt and pepper.
- While the sauce is reducing, place a nonstick pan on a low heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin-side down and cook on a really low heat for 30 minutes to render the fat. Then increase the heat to high and cook for two minutes or until the skin goes crispy. Turn the duck breasts over, brush with honey, then finish them in the oven at 180 degrees for four minutes. Remove from the oven and rest them for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the red cabbage and sauce à l’orange.
