Tom Aikens' elegant smoked duck salad recipe is perfect for any season. Pairing the duck with mushrooms gives the salad a double hit of umami. You can also use pan-fried unsmoked duck for this dish if you prefer.
For the dressing, a dash of olive oil into a small pan and place on a medium heat. Add the shallots with the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and bay and cook until the shallots are translucent
Add the Madeira and balsamic vinegar and reduce to 100ml. Add the remaining olive oil then leave to cool and place in the fridge - the longer you leave it the richer the flavour will be
100ml of dry Madeira
100ml of balsamic vinegar
25ml of olive oil
3
To pickle the mushrooms, combine all the ingredients, except the mushrooms, in a pan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the prepared mushrooms and cook for 90 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towel
For the baked mushrooms, mix the portobello mushrooms with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Place on a tray and roast in the oven set to 180°C/gas mark 4 for 12-14 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature and cut in half
