Mallard, Glazed Beetroot, Elderberry, Chard by Timberyard
Timberyard is a family-run restaurant a stone’s throw from Edinburgh Castle.
Eldest son Ben heads up the kitchen, whilst his younger brother Jo takes care of the front of house along with sister Abi.
At Timberyard the approach is ingredient-led seasonal cooking, where curing, smoking, pickling and fermenting help to extend the seasons. All of this is served in the relaxed warehouse space by well informed, caring individuals.
Like the food, the drinks are sustainable, locally sourced, seasonal and foraged from Scottish ingredients. The wine list is exclusively British and European, natural and bio dynamic, made with minimum intervention.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 oven ready mallard crown
4 mallard legs
500g duck or goose fat
1 bunch of thyme
1 bulb garlic
3 large beetroot
1 small onion
13 small baby beetroot
500ml beetroot juice
12 chard leaves
2 tbsp honey
1 star anise
100g elderberry (fresh is best but pickled, frozen or dried will do)
100g unsalted butter
50ml cider vinegar
Oil for cooking
Method
For the bird
Confit the legs with thyme and garlic for 2 hours at 175’C, pan fry or grill to serve crisp. Brown the crowns in a pan with butter then roast at 200’C for approximately 6 minutes, remove from the oven and rest before carving to serve.
For the puree
Peel and roughly chop 3 large beetroot and 1 onion. Place in a pot and cover with water, simmer until cooked and strain reserving the stock. Puree the beetroot adding stock if necessary. Season before serving.
For the sauce and glaze
Bring the beetroot juice, star anise, 1 clove garlic, 2 sprigs thyme, cider vinegar and honey to the boil and reduce by half. Reserve half of this sauce for the glaze.
Add the elderberries to the sauce and remove from the heat, season before serving.
For the beetroot
Simmer 12 small beetroot in water until soft, peel and set aside. In a pan reduce the reserved sauce to a glaze and add the baby beetroot, caramelize, season and serve.
For the chard
Wash and neaten up the chard leaves, blanch in simmering water and butter, season and serve. Any remaining stalks can be diced and added to the sauce if wanted.
For the garnish
Finely slice the remaining baby beetroot for garnish, young
beetroot shoots may also be used if available.
In association with Taste Communications.
www.tastecommunications.co.uk
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