Of ESP, Estelle Bistro and Saint Crispin fame, Scott Pickett is one of Melbourne’s great hospitality moguls, with a gift for turning pristine produce into delicious, unfussy dishes served in slick, seamlessly serviced environments. Basically, Scott Pickett does dining perfection. At this year’s festival he’ll be heading up a Hands On MasterClass that will show you how to pull off a Scott Pickett-style menu at home, guaranteed to leave your mates thoroughly impressed. If you're not lucky enough to score a ticket to one of Scott's sought-after events, we'd suggest booking a table at one of his restaurants, pronto.
To give you a taste of what’s in store, Scott has shared his take on French classic, duck à l’orange. The twist? Scott’s roast bird incorporates Asian herbs, spices and sides, adding a whack of flavour to this already succulent dish.
For more must-do events at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, on from March 4 to 13, visit melbournefoodandwine.com.au.
Scott Pickett's Roast Duck, Coriander & Orange
Ingredients
• 1 whole duck
Glaze
• 3 oranges
• 50 g coriander seed
• 200 ml honey
Garnish
• 2 bunches bok choy
• 2 chinese sausage
• 2 king brown mushrooms
• 8 shitake mushrooms
• 8 baby kipfler potatoes
• 4 pearl onions
• peanut or sunflower oil
• coriander leaves
Method
For the glaze
• Peel the oranges and finely julienne the zest. Blanch and refresh six times.
• Crush the coriander seed.
• Mix orange zest, juice and coriander with the honey, and cook gently until it forms a sticky glaze.
• Keep aside to brush on to the duck.
• Any garnish not used could be used another time.
To prepare the duck crown
• Wash well after trimming, and brine in a 10 per cent salt solution for 20 minutes.
• Remove, rinse again, and leave to dry overnight uncovered, in the refrigerator.
To roast
• Seal the skin on the breasts evenly in a non-stick pan, and then place the duck in a warm oven (120-140C) for about 15 minutes, or until the bird is pink. Remove and brush with the honey glaze.
For the garnish
• Prepare all the vegetables. Wash and cook the kipflers until just soft.
• Slice the pearl onions in half and roast until just cooked.
• Slice the mushrooms into different shapes.
• Wash and halve the bok choy, blanch for two minutes and drain.
• Slice the chinese sausage on a slight angle.
• To finish, sauté mushrooms in a large pan with a little oil, add onions and potatoes, then add bok choy and chinese sausage. Season to taste and finish with chopped coriander.
To serve
• Place the roasted glazed duck on a platter, arrange garnish nicely around the bird. Carve the duck, and enjoy!