Duck breast, radicchio, girolle, walnut and redcurrant

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This intense duck dish from Sam Yorke uses all parts of the duck; the bones and trim go into the sauce, while the breasts are carefully cooked sous vide. The sides – pickled redcurrants and radicchio, and puréed beetroot – make more than you'll need for this recipe, but are delicious with other roast meats.

First published in 2025

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Duck breast

  • 1 duck
  • 5% brine solution, as needed

Duck sauce

Pickled redcurrants

  • 50g of redcurrants
  • 50g of white wine vinegar
  • 50g of water
  • 20g of cane sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

Barbecued and pickled radicchio

  • 1 radicchio, cut into wedges and lightly charred on a barbecue or grill
  • 200g of water
  • 200g of apple cider vinegar
  • 100g of cane sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

Beetroot purée

Assembly

Equipment

  • Chinois
  • Barbecue
  • Vacuum bag and machine
  • Sous vide equipment

Method

1

Brine the duck in a 5% salt solution for 1 hour in the fridge

  • 1 duck
  • 5% brine solution, as needed
2

Remove, dry well, then break down the duck

3

Vacuum seal the duck breasts and cook sous-vide at 58°C for 1 hour. Once cooked, chill immediately in ice water to stop cooking and firm up

4

For the duck sauce, heat 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. Fry the duck bones and trim until caramelised

  • 5 tbsp of vegetable oil
5

Drain the contents of the pan through a colander, discarding the oil. Put the duck trim back into the saucepan

6

Pour in half the chicken stock and reduce on a high heat until almost dry

  • 2l chicken stock
7

Once dry, add the remaining chicken stock and reduce by half

8

Strain the liquid through a fine chinois into a clean container. Place in the fridge to chill overnight

9

The following day, skim off any solidified fat, then reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon

10

For the pickled redcurrants, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil

  • 50g of redcurrants
  • 50g of white wine vinegar
  • 50g of water
  • 20g of cane sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
11

Pour the brine over the redcurrants and allow to pickle for at least 1 hour

12

For the radicchio, heat the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until boiling

  • 200g of water
  • 200g of apple cider vinegar
  • 100g of cane sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
13

Pour over the radicchio wedges in a container and leave to pickle for at least 1 hour. This will finish the cooking process

  • 1 radicchio, cut into wedges and lightly charred on a barbecue or grill
14

Add the walnuts, green peppercorns and 20g pickled red currants to the duck sauce

15

Boil the beetroots until tender, then strain the water, reserving the liquid

16

Blend at full power until smooth, adjusting the consistency with the strained water

17

Pass through a fine chinois

18

Season with salt and a splash of sherry vinegar

  • sherry vinegar, to taste
  • salt
19

Place a dot of beetroot purée onto each plate

20

Fry the duck breast on a medium heat until golden brown and the skin is rendered and crispy. Rest for six minutes

  • neutral oil
21

Sauté the girolles in butter until cooked

22

Reheat the pickled radicchio on the barbecue

23

Add a few leaves of pickled radicchio and the girolles

24

Slice the duck breast and place on the plate, skin side up. Spoon over duck sauce

First published in 2025

From a Kitchen Porter at a tapas restaurant in Rochdale to the chef-proprietor of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Leith, Sam Yorke’s career has followed a familiar trajectory. While his progression through the ranks of the brigade isn’t uncommon, what’s rare is the end result: a restaurant of glittering, star-studded success that’s cooking on all cylinders.

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