Pomegranate

Duck with Walnut and Pomegranate

Serves 4 Ingredients Method

1 duck, about 4lb cleaned, wiped and trussed Salt and pepper

1 oz of butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

6oz of walnuts,

4oz ground, the remainder coarsely chopped.

12 fl.oz fresh pomegranate juice

1tblsp of lemon or lime juice

3 tblsp of brown sugar

1⁄4 tsp each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg

To Serve: 1 oz of walnuts, coarsely chopped Pomegranate seeds

 Season the duck with salt and pepper. Heat half the butter in a large heavy lidded pan and brown the duck on all sides. Remove and drain off the fat. Heat the remaining butter in the pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the walnuts, the pomegranate and lime juices, sugars and spices and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and return the duck to the pan. Spoon over the sauce then cover and simmer for 1 1⁄2- 2 hours, or until tender. Baste occasionally. When cooked, lift the duck onto a serving plate, quarter it and keep warm. Take fat off the sauce, taste for seasoning and bring to the boil. Spoon over the duck, garnish with chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds and serve with rice.



Poached Pears with Pomegranate

Serves 4 Ingredients Method

4 pomegranates

4 firm pears

1 1⁄2 oz of demerera sugar

 Extract the juice from the pomegranates. Peel and halve the pears lengthways, scoop out the cores and place the pears in a single layer in a 4 pt ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the sugra, the strained pomegranate juice- there should be about a 1⁄2 pint- and add 1⁄2 pint of water. Cover the dish tightly and cook at 190 degrees C/ 375 degrees F / Gas Mark 5 for about 1 hour or until the pears are tender. Remove the pears and place in a serving dish, keep warm. Boil the cooking liquid until reduced by half. Spoon over pears and serve hot or cold with ice cream.



Pomegranate Soup

Serves 4 Ingredients Method

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium leek, thinly sliced

1 oz of butter

1 tblsp of flour

1 1⁄4 pint of chicken stock

2 pomegranates

1⁄2 stp cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1 tblsp chopped chives Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Fry the onion and leek in the butter for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 40 seconds. Gradually add the stock, stirring continuously. Cut the pomegranates in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and juice. Add 3⁄4 of the pomegranate seeds to the soup, together with the cinnamon, lemon rind, chives and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes until the leek is soft. Stir in the remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.