Five-Spice seared duck breasts with honey & raspberry sauce & wilted pak choi & spring onions

For a good few years now, I’ve been able to grow pak choi in our vegetable garden. Having grown up with a vegetable patch full of the old reliables – turnips, carrots, potatoes and the like – pak choi seems delightfully exotic. It’s amazing what the climate in Ireland can produce!

To prepare the duck, score the duck breasts diagonally each way with a sharp knife and rub with the five-spice powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the duck, skin side down, into a large cold frying pan and leave to cook slowly on a low heat until the skin is golden and the duck fat has melted into the pan. Turn the duck breasts over, increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 5 minutes approximately, until tender but still pink in the middle. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm

To make the sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the orange juice and zest and simmer for 2 minutes before adding the ginger, honey and raspberries. Simmer for 2 minutes and set aside. To prepare the vegetables, heat some oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the red chilli, cumin and spring onions and sauté for 1 minute before adding the pak

choi and sautéing for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander.

To serve, place the wilted spring onions and pak choi on a large platter, then slice the duck and arrange the slices on top. Spoon over the raspberry sauce and serve immediately.