Recipe: Duck Breast Stuffed with Saffron Apples

1 Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C) (Gas mark 6)

2 Score the duck breast skin side nicely without cutting into the skin.

3 Open it with a sharp knife lengthwise as if you were making a sandwich. Lightly salt the inside.

4 Peel and pit one apple. Cut it into small cubes like a brunoise.

5 In a small ramekin mix 5 saffron threads and the small apple cubes. Set aside.

6 Peel the second apple. Slice it with a mandoline to get rounds.

7 Place the rounds in a baking dish and pour the equivalent of 4 tablespoons of saffron syrup over them.

8 On the same day, heat the syrup until it becomes slightly thick. Strain and keep the syrup in the refrigerator. It will serve you to flavor your desserts, your sparkling wines, your meats.

9 Put in hot oven at 355°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes. Turn over the saffron apple rounds and continue cooking under the grill at 180° for about 5 minutes, just long enough for the edges of the apples to brown.

10 Place your saffron apple cubes inside the duck breast and tie it.

11 Heat 1.1 oz (30 g) of butter and cook the duck breast skin side for about 5 minutes to brown well.

12 Turn the duck breast gently, drizzle it with melted butter and continue cooking over medium heat for 4 minutes. When pressed with your finger, the duck breast should be very tender.

13 Peel and pit the last apple and cut it into large pieces. Cook them in the microwave for 4 minutes at full power. Add two threads to the compote. Keep warm.

14 Place your duck breast in an oven-safe dish covered with aluminum foil and