Duck breasts with Limoncello

The tang of our citrus/sweet Limoncello goes very well with duck – duck au citron!

Serve this dish with some mashed root vegetables such as celeriac or parsnip or just plain mash.

Serves 2

2 boneless duck breasts
1 large lemon
100 ml Blackfords Limoncello
A knob of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Pat the duck breasts dry and place them in a shallow dish. Zest the lemon using a potato peeler so that you get just the zest and not the white,bitter pith underneath.

Scatter the lemon zest over the duck, then squeeze over the juice. Pour over the Limoncello and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Remove the duck from the marinade, pat dry with some kitchen paper and season well with salt and pepper. Keep the marinade to one side for later.

Heat a large frying pan and when hot, add the olive oil. Now place the duck breasts in the pan, skin-side down, and seal and brown well on both sides.

Reduce the heat and cook for about 12 minutes, turning the duck from time to time; this should give you medium-cooked duck, which I think is perfect for this dish.
With the duck skin side up, turn up the heat and add the Limoncello and the butter.

Spoon the sauce over the duck a couple of times, then remove to a chopping board to rest for about 5 minutes.

Continue to cook the sauce, shaking the pan to help the sauce to thicken. Cut the breasts into slices, arrange on plates and pour the thickened sauce straight from the pan. Serve immediately.