Pulled Gressingham Duck Wreath

This pulled duck wreath is fantastic as a sharing platter with friends at a festive dinner party or if you’re having a drinks party why not make it into canapés serving the shredded duck and berries in gem lettuce leaves or Chinese style pancakes.

Serves 6 as a sharing starter.

Prep: 5 minutes Cooking/Resting time: 3 hours

Ingredients:------------

• 1 whole Gressingham Duck - ½ pint cider - ¼ pint cider vinegar - 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves then crushed - A selection of salad leaves - 1 pomegranate – seeds removed and kept - 1 small bunch of red grapes - Handful of dried whole cranberries

For the rub

• 1 tsp ground cumin - 4 tsp smoked paprika - 1 tsp ground coriander - 1 tsp ground allspice - ½ tsp chilli powder - 1 tsp ground black/white pepper - 2 tsp salt - 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar - 2 tbsp whole grain mustard

Method:-------

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C, Fan 170°C, Gas Mark 5. 2. Mix all the rub ingredients together. 3. Take 2/3 of the rub and rub onto the inside and outside of the duck. 4. Place the duck into a deep roasting tray; pour in the cider and the vinegar. Cover with foil and place into the oven for 1¼ hours. 5. After 1¼ hours reduce the temperature to 150°C, Fan 130°C, Gas Mark 2. Continue to cook for 1 hour. 6. Then increase the heat to 200°C, Fan 180°C, Gas Mark 6, remove the foil and cook for 10 minutes to crisp up. 7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest somewhere warm for 30 minutes. 8. Meanwhile, prepare the ‘wreath’. Place a large plate on the surface you are serving from to create a circular stencil. Shape the leaves around the plate and scatter the pomegranate seeds, grapes and cranberries over the leaves. Remove the plate to reveal the ‘wreath’. 9. Using two forks, shred or ‘pull’ the duck and place the pulled meat in the middle of the wreath, where the plate was. Sprinkle some, or all, of the remaining rub onto the duck. 10. Serve as a sharing dish for everyone to dig into. Alternatively, make into canapés serving the shredded duck and berries in gem lettuce leaves or Chinese style pancakes.

Gressingham has lots of recipes along with ‘how-to’ videos on their website www.gressinghamduck.co.uk

• Christmas2015
• Duck
• Recipes