I am a summer girl. I love long sunny days and balmy nights, and I am always disappointed as the sun finally sets at the end of the season. One thing that does warm my heart is that autumn brings the bounty of the fabulous fig! My parents have a big tree on their farm and when the figs are ripe, the fruit is abundant. They are a versatile fruit and lend themselves so well to a sweet tart or fig jam, but also to savoury dishes. The jammy figs in this salad marry perfectly with the rich duck.
What you’ll need:
3 organic or free-range duck marylands
100gm mesclun or mixed lettuce leaves
4 fresh figs, halved
8 thin slices of pancetta
Salt and pepper
Pickled shallots
2 shallots, thinly sliced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup water
Dressing
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
What to do:
Pre-heat your oven to 160°C. Season the duck with salt and pepper and place, skin-side up, on a wire rack over a roasting dish. Roast the duck for 1½ hours, or until the duck skin is crisp and the meat pulls away from the bone. Remove from the oven and allow the duck to cool for 15 minutes before removing the meat (with the skin!) and discarding the bones. Roughly cut or break up the duck into pieces to add to the salad.
Meanwhile, place the sliced pancetta on a baking tray in a single layer and place in the oven while the duck is roasting. After ten minutes the pancetta should be glistening and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool, then set aside for the salad.
For pickled shallots, pour the vinegar, sugar and water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and add the sliced shallots to the liquid. Allow to pickle for 30 minutes, then drain the shallots in a sieve and discard the liquid.
For the dressing, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
When you’re ready to assemble the salad, add about two tablespoons of the dressing to the lettuce and toss to coat, add more dressing if needed. Arrange the dressed lettuce on your serving dish, then place the duck, pancetta and figs in and around the lettuce, then strew with the pickled shallots and drizzle over a little more dressing.
Serves 4
Recipe, photo and styling by Karen McFarlane
