- 1 piel de sapo melon, peeled, seeds removed and cut into slices
- olive oil, for frying
- 1 duck carcass, cut into pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into chunks
- 2 sticks celery, cut into chunks
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 500ml/1lb 2oz good-quality beef stock
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 duck breasts, trimmed and skin scored
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 110g/3¾oz curly kale, stalks discarded, chopped
- 10g/⅓oz fresh mint
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- For the melon foie gras, place the melon in a vacuum pack plastic bag and seal. Leave in the fridge for 48 hours.
- For the duck jus, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- Put the carcass and vegetables in a large roasting tray and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the stock. Cook on the hob for an hour over a low heat. Strain the mixture and pour the jus back into the roasting tray. Cook over a medium-high heat until the volume of liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency.
- For the spiced duck breast and curly kale, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- Dry fry all the spices in a frying pan for 1-2 minutes until the spices start to release their oils. Remove from the pan and place in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a powder.
- Sprinkle the duck all over with the spice mix.
- Heat a large frying pan and add the duck skin-side down. Cook slowly until the fat has rendered out.
- Place the duck in the oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the duck breast. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- For the melon foie gras, remove the melon from the vacuum pack bag and fry in a little oil until golden-brown.
- In the meantime, heat a large pan and add the butter. Once hot, add the kale and a little water and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted.
- For the mint oil, blend the mint and oil in a blender and until smooth, then pass through a sieve.
- To serve, slice the duck breasts and place on a serving plate along with the kale and melon. Pour the duck jus around the plate along with a drizzle of mint oil.