Hot smoked Duck Breast, Saute of Wild mushroom Gnocchi, Asparagus, Morels with Balsamic glazed Fig Recipe

Method

• 1. FOR THE MEAT

  Season the duck breasts with a little of the maldon salt and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
  
  Line a large lidded saucepan with tinfoil and spread inside the wood chips.
  
  Form a coil from tinfoil to make a 'trivet', and a pierced platform of tinfoil to rest the meat on, above the woodchips.
  
  Light the wood chips over heat or with a blowtorch until they are thoroughly smouldering.
  
  Place the meat on the tinfoil platter, close the lid securely and keep on the heat for 1-2 minutes to ensure that the chips are properly lit.
  
  Take the pot off the heat and allow the duck breasts to infuse in the residual smoke.

• 2. PART TWO OF THE RECIPE

  Preheat an oven to 200*
  Soak the dried mushrooms in cold water until soft, drain and toss in a hot pan with a little olive oil to caramelise.
  Chop.
  Pierce the potatoes and bake them on a roasting tray for about 90 minutes until they are soft.
  When the potatoes are soft remove from the oven, cutting open to allow the steam to escape.
  While still hot, scoop the flesh out of the potato and pass through a mouli.
  
  Mix with the chopped wild mushrooms, fine salt and pepper, cep powder and half the 00 flour.
  Add the egg yolk and mix/knead, adding more flour if necessary to obtain a pliable dough like consistancy that isnt wet or sticky.
  
  Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
  Soak the dried mushrooms in cold water until soft, drain and toss in a hot pan with a little olive oil to caramelise.
  Chop.
  
  Mix with the chopped wild mushrooms, fine salt and pepper, cep powder and half the 00 flour.
  Add the egg yolk and mix/knead, adding more flour if necessary to obtain a pliable dough like consistancy that isnt wet or sticky.
  Turn onto a floured bench and shape into 3 cm diameter sausages, then cut into pillows.
  Blanch in the boiling salted water immediately, when they float to the surface, scoop out to dry on a lightly oiled tray.

• 3. FOR THE VEGETABLES

  Soak, brush or wipe the morels clean, if they are large, cut in half from end to end.
  Dry the mushrooms thoroughly.
  
  Trim the asparagus and blanch in salted boiling water for approximately 1 minute depending on the thickness. Cut into batons.
  

• 4. FOR THE JUS

  Cut the figs in half from end to end.
  In a large frying pan, sprinkle across the demerera sugar and allow to caramelise.
  Place n the figs, cut side down and leave for 1 minute.
  turn the figs over, add the balsamic and swirl around the pan until the sugar has dissolved.
  Remove the figs and add the chicken or duck stock (using a premade duck jus here would be even better) and allow to reduce to a sauce consistancy.
  Taste, and adjust with more suger or red wine to achieve a sweet sharp rich syrup.

• 5. TO SERVE

  Place a large frypan on the heat and while still cold , season the duck breast skins with salt and pepper and place skin-side down.
  Bring the pan up to heat and panfry until the skin beacomes crispy, pouring off any fat that renders out.When crispy place in the oven for 6 minutes, then take out and turn over onto the flesh side to rest and complete the cooking with the residual heat of the pan.
  
  Heat a large fry pan and add the olive oil and butter, swirl to prevent the butter form burning.
  When the butter is foaming, add the garlic cloves, thyme sprigs and then the morel mushrooms.
  Season with salt and pepper, remove the mushrooms after 2-3 minutes when caramelised.
  Add the gnocchi to the pan and brown both sides gently, when coloured, add the mushrooms and the asparagus to the pan to allow to warm through.

• 6. TO SERVE

  Trickle some of the sauce around the plate and arrange the gnocchi on top.
  Alternate with the fig halves,gnocchi and morels.
  Cut the duck breast into quarters and stand or lay the around the plate as desired and fish with picked small basil leaves or basil cress if available.