Roast duck breast with butternut squash and pearl barley risotto

With Valentines day just around the corner, cooking something beautiful for a loved one can sometimes be the most romantic gesture in the world.

Being a chef I will, of cause, be working on Valentines night so I had to make the effort a little earlier than most would. On Monday I cooked this delicious dish for my wife. With rich, tender, pink duck breast and a risotto made with pearl barley instead of the more traditional rice meant it was a still a light dish.

2 Duck breast

150g pearl barley

1 banana shallot finely diced

100ml white wine

1 clove of garlic

1 small butternut squash peeled and half finely dice and the other half roughluy diced

75g butter

1 lt chicken stock

75g grated parmesan

100ml single cream

small handful of curly parsley

This dish is actually fairly quick to make so it is important that you have everything ready to go before you start.

Place the roughly diced butternut squash in some water and bring it to the boil.

Take the finely diced butternut squash and sweat it in the bottom of a heavy based pan with a little olive oil. Whilst doing this take the duck breast and place them skin side down in a frying pan over a high heat. Once you have small amount of colour on the skin turn the breast once and seal the meat for a further 90 seconds. Turn the breast once more onto the skin side and place the pan in a hot oven at 170c for 8-10 minuets.

Whist the duck is cooking add the garlic to your pan with the finely diced butternut squash, then add the pearl barley. Let a little heat get into the barley for a minuet then add in the white wine.

Once the white wine has been absorbed add in the chicken stock and cook the barley for about 14 minuets. About half way through the barley cooking the duck should be ready, take it out of the pane and place it on a plate and cover it in tin foil and allow it to rest.

Take the roughly diced butternut squash out of the water and place it in a food processor with half of the butter and give it a wizz. Place half of the puree in the risotto and save the other have for decorating the plate.

Once all of the liquid has been absorbed into the barley add in a little cream, butter, the Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley. Cook for a further minuet, season to taste and serve. slice the duck and serve it over the top of the risotto.

I hope that your loved ones enjoy it as much as mine did.