Orange, rosemary and caramel-glazed duck breasts
Serves: 4
Time: 40 mins
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place 4 duck breasts, skin-side down in a cold non-stick frying pan over medium heat (without any oil), 6 – 8 minutes or until golden brown. Pour off the fat regularly and brown the other side, 30 seconds. Simply wipe the pan clean and set aside (you’ll use it again in a moment). Place the duck breasts, skin-side facing up, in a roasting tin in the preheated oven until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. While the duck roasts, heat a little olive oil in a pan over low heat. Fry 1 peeled and minced garlic clove and 10ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh rosemary sprigs, 3 minutes. Add ½ tin (180g) caramel to the pan (keep the remaining half for our Camembert recipe alongside, or simply eat straight from the tin!) and allow to warm through gently. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and add 10ml (2 tsp) orange juice. When the duck is cooked, allow to rest in a warm place, 10 minutes, before slicing and drizzling with the caramel sauce. Serve alongside buttery, blanched green beans.
Vanilla-caramel ripple ice cream
Serves: 8
Time: 10 mins + 2 hrs, to firm up
To make a delicious and super-easy vanilla-caramel ripple ice cream, allow a 2L tub of good-quality vanilla ice cream to soften a little, about 15 minutes out of the freezer. While the ice cream softens, combine 15ml (1 tbsp) vanilla essence with 1 tin (360g) caramel and stir well until the caramel is smooth. Ripple the caramel through the softened vanilla ice cream, pop the lid back on and freeze until needed. Remove from freezer, 10 minutes before serving, to soften. Serve the ice cream scooped into bowls or ice cream cones.
Thyme-baked Camembert with pecan nuts and cheat ’s salted caramel
Serves: 2
Time: 30 mins
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place 1 large Camembert in a Camembert baker or on a piece of baking paper in a small roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a handful fresh thyme sprigs. Bake in the preheated oven until the inside is molten and the top toasted, about 20 minutes. While the cheese is baking, make your cheat’s salted caramel by combining ½ tin (180g) caramel with sea salt flakes to taste. Stir until smooth (keep the remaining half of the caramel for our duck recipe alongside, or simply eat straight from the tin!). Serve the thyme-baked cheese drizzled with the salted caramel, topped with toasted pecan nuts, strawberries and Melba toast alongside.
