Wild Hibiscus Seared Duck Breast

Ingredients

Sauce

11 Wild Hibiscus Flowers (drained; save syrup)

1 cup/250ml port red wine

2 tablespoons Wild Hibiscus Flower Syrup

1/3 cup/75ml red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons/45g butter, cut into cubes

Duck

2 duck magrets (breast fillet) (about 12 ounces/330g total)

Salt and pepper

Arugula (rocket) leaves, for serving

To begin the sauce, add the Wild Hibiscus Flower Syrup in a small saucepan with the wine. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes. Set the pan aside. Trim the excess fat from the magrets, then crosshatch the skin, cutting down almost to the meat so fat can escape. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy, dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the magrets, skin side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes or longer if necessary. Brown other side, 2 to 3 minutes longer. (Test a magret by poking the centre with the point of a knife to see the colour of the meat. If too rare, continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.)

When done, set the magrets aside, skin side up, on a carving board. Cover loosely with aluminium foil to keep warm.

To finish the sauce, discard excess fat from frying pan. Add vinegar and boil, stirring to dissolve pan juices, until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Whisk in garlic and tomato paste. Pour in syrup from the hibiscus flowers, keeping back the flowers with a pan lid. Boil until the liquid is slightly syrupy and reduced by more than half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in hibiscus flowers to heat gently. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and set sauce aside. Carve magrets on a diagonal into thin slices. To plate, mount arugula leaves at the side of serving dish and arrange duck slices, overlapping. Use a spoon to arrange hibiscus flowers and drizzle sauce. Serve immediately.