Week 18 - Andrew - A set of Instructions

Welcome to another in the series of Andrew’s How-tos, where I’ll be walking you through some quick steps to wow your friends, and make your life in the kitchen that bit easier.

This week, we’ll be going for classic cool, and talking about how to sear a duck breast with a classic pan sauce. We’ll be accompanying that with a classic vodka martini.

Very few dishes are as impressive as a simple seared duck breast - Rare meat, crispy skin, and a dark, caramelised exterior. Couple this with a rich brandy sauce and a light green salad, and you’re bound to impress your guests. This is a great menu for a romantic meal.

This dish does involve some prep close to serving, so make your guests a pre-dinner cocktail. We recommend a classic - Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred.

First step as always, is to get the ingredients together.

(for the duck)

2 x Duck Breast,

Shallot,

Garlic

Brandy,

Salt,

Pepper

You’ll also need:

a frying pan, and a sharp knife.

(for the martini)

Ice - by the bucket

Vermouth

Olives

Vodka (as nice as you can afford)

You’ll also need:

A cocktail shaker

Martini glasses

Cocktail sticks

Let’s start with the drinks. The trick to a good martini, apart from excellent ingredients, is temperature. A proper martini is served as close to freezing temperature as possible:

1) Fill your glasses with ice.

2) Drizzle a capful of vermouth over the ice. Leave the glasses to stand, allowing them to chill.

3) Thread three olives onto a cocktail stick. Leave aside.

4) Add 2 measures of vodka (per martini to be served) to your cocktail shaker, along with a good handful of ice.

5) Close your cocktail shaker, and shake it vigorously. Like a polaroid picture. Use this opportunity to look cool. Don’t stop shaking until the outside of the shaker is frozen.

6) Take your glasses, and swirl the ice & vermouth mixture around the glasses, before pouring into the sink. The idea is to leave a thin coating of vermouth in the glass.

7) Pour the now-freezing vodka into the glass. This may contain a mist of ice.

8) Add the cocktail olives, and enjoy.

9) Repeat

10) Bin the duck breast, and eat peanuts. Realistically, you’re not going to cook after two or three of these.