4 Gressingham duck breasts
2 tbsp walnut oil
Salt and pepper

Butternut squash gratin:
1 large butternut squash
90g (3oz) butter, melted
1 tsp chopped rosemary

Sauce:
1 shallot, finely chopped
20g (3/4oz) butter
2 tbsp honey
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) red wine
500ml (1 3/4fl oz) soy sauce
250ml (8fl oz) stock (duck or chicken)
60g (2oz) butter
3 tbsp brandy

To serve:
1 quantity Onion Tarte Tartin
1 leek, cut into very fine julienne strips
Sunflower oil, for deep-frying

PREPARATION:

1. Carefully score the skin of the duck breasts. Marinate the duck pieces in the walnut oil, ideally for a couple of hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F/Gas 2). Start making the butternut squash gratin (this is actually better done in advance). Peel the squash and, using a mandolin, slice it very finely. Then layer it in a well-buttered gratin dish about 20cm (8in) square, sprinkling it with rosemary and salt and brushing melted butter between the layers, finishing with melted butter. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and press it down to seal it, perhaps with a weight on top (this will make it quite thin). Allow it to cool, and then cut into 4x7cm (1 1/2 x 2 3/4in) circles with a round cutter. Place these on a baking dish ready to heat through before serving.

3. To make the sauce (this can also be done well in advance), take a frying pan and soften the shallot in the butter over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the honey and let it cook until it becomes slightly caramelised, then add the red wine and soy sauce. Let it bubble up and reduce to a syrupy consistency. Add the stock and let it boil briskly for a further 5 minutes until it becomes a little thick. Strain it, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set it aside.

4. Increase the temperature of the oven to 200C (425F/Gas 7).

5. Deep fry the leeks in sunflower oil at 170C (350F). Drain very well.

Remove the duck breasts from the walnut oil, dry them and sear them, skin-side down, very quickly, about 2 minutes, until crisp. Roast the duck breasts in the oven for a further 6 minutes, turning halfway through. Leave the duck to rest for 10 minutes. (You could roast it before dinner, and leave it to rest while you are having your first course). While the duck is resting, you could be baking (at a slightly lower temperature) or heating through the tarte tatin.

6. Bring the sauce to the boil and whisk in the butter, followed by the brandy. Let it simmer for a moment or two and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve the duck with a round of squash gratin, garnished with some deep-fried leek, alongside an onion tarte tartin. Pour the sauce around.