Pan roasted crispy duck with pinot plums

This next post is a tad late as we have been super busy, but we have been aiming to have a recipe up for you every weekend. This one's a goodie, hope you enjoy! 

(Serves 2)

• 8 baby beets
• 2 large kumara (sweet potato)
• 2 duck breasts
• 2 plums
• 300ml of pinot noir
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Cream

•  I served today's duck with creamed kumara, roasted baby beetroot, and my pinot noir plums, I promise you it is amazing.

Start by pre-heating the oven to 200 °c bake

Cut the plums into wedges and add to a pot along with the wine. Start on a medium to high heat until it breaks into a simmer then drop the heat and allow to reduce, after 20 to 30 minutes you should be left with delicious stewed plums resting in a reduced wine.

Wash your baby beets and trim the stems, chuck into a roasting dish with a knob of butter and a good drizzle of olive oil, salt and then cover and roast for 20 minutes. Remove lid and roast for a further 20 minutes, beets are ready when a fork can push through easily and their skins are crispy. 

Now dice the kumara into even portions and place into a pot with garlic cloves. Cover with water and bring to a steady simmer.

While kumara is on the boil prep the duck. Score skin on an angle about 1 cm apart. Place breasts skin side down on a cold pan and slowly increase heat. This allows the fat to render down. As the skin crisps up, put any rendered fat aside. (I save it as it makes some tasty crispy spuds the next night.) Once skin is crispy and golden brown, flip the breasts and place pan in the oven, roast for 8 minutes then pull out and allow duck to rest. Breast should be pink and juicy, if you prefer your duck well done roast for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Once kumara is tender, drain water and add a few knobs of butter and a splash of cream. Whisk until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Plate and enjoy.

Poached crayfish in a garlic parsley and lemon butter sauce

Anyone who knows Kane will know his love for seafood, namely crayfish and oysters so what better way to kick the blog off but with poached cray-tails and grilled oysters. 
We've been intending to start a blog for awhile now but with so many work-related commitments along with study, it seemed the blog was only a dream, something we discussed over a wine while Kane was cooking another one of his delicious creations.
The Crayfish in the photo was sourced from the east-coast of the north-island, our hometown being Gisborne and the oysters are from the Marlborough sounds as Blenheim is our new home.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• Salted water
• Crayfish
• Spinach
• Butter 

For the sauce:

• 2 garlic gloves (crushed)
• Handful of parsley
• Lemon
• Butter

• Poaching time will depend on the size of your crayfish. Remembering it will continue to cook in it's hot shell.

Fill your stock pot with about two inches of water and bring to the boil. Add salt and don't be shy, if it tastes like seawater you're on the right track. I steam my cray for 5-8 minutes, only going to 8 if the cray is large.. nothing worse than an over cooked fish!


While your crays are in the pot wash a good amount of spinach, don't worry about drying as it helps it to wilt down. 
Throw a knob of butter in a pot and melt on a medium heat. Add spinach leaves and cover with a lid. Stirring regularly until well wilted. Remove crayfish from the stock pot and allow to cool enough to handle.
While your cray is set aside, whip up your butter sauce:
Crush garlic and add to a pan with the juice of half a lemon. Add approximately 40-50g of butter and heat until melted. Stir through a small handful of chopped parsley and your butter drizzle is ready.
Break the cray tail from the body by twisting and pulling gently. Trim the excess meat from the tail and halve the tail shell with a large knife and a bit of weight. 
Remove the tube from the center of the tail and arrange on the plate with the wilted spinach. 
Spoon over the butter sauce and enjoy :). I like to serve with my oysters on brown bread as a side, I will make sure to add my recipe.