INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole cauliflower

• 2 cups full cream milk

• 40g salted pure butter

• 680g jar preserved morello cherries

• 1 1/2 cups good quality duck or chicken stock

• 2 star anise

• 2 sprigs thyme

• 1/2 orange, juice and zest

• 1 tsp cornflour

• 4 duck breasts

• 2 tsp all spice

• Salt and pepper

• Pea tendrils to garnish, optional

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170*C.

Cut cauliflower in half. Slice 2 even pieces (approximately 2cm thick) from the centre of each cauliflower half to create 2 "steaks." Cut steaks in half to make 4 serves. Set aside.

To make the cauliflower puree, chop remaining cauliflower into small pieces and place in a medium saucepan. Add milk, place over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until 80% of the milk has been absorbed. Add half the butter. Puree cauliflower using a stick blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the sour cherry sauce, strain the morello cherry syrup into a large saucepan. Add half the cherries to the saucepan, set the rest aside. Add stock, star anise, thyme, orange juice, zest and mix well. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Allow sauce to simmer for 10 minutes until reduced by half. Mix cornflour into 2 tbsp of water and stir into sauce until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat. Strain sauce through a fine sieve. Add remaining butter and stir until smooth. Carefully fold through reserved cherries. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To cook the duck, dry each breast with paper towel. Use a sharp knife to gently score the skin at 1cm intervals. Season skin with all spice, salt and pepper. Place each breast skin-side down into a cold, large, ovenproof frypan. Place over medium heat. Rest another smaller frypan or saucepan on top of the duck. Cook for 4-5 minutes, occasionally draining the rendered fat from the frypan. Remove additional frypan from the top of the duck. Turn duck breasts over. Add cauliflower steaks to the pan. Transfer frypan to preheated oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove duck from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, place a generous spoonful of cauliflower puree onto each plate. Top with roasted cauliflower steaks. Drizzle sour cherry sauce in a circular pattern. Slice duck lengthways and place on top of cauliflower. Garnish with pea tendrils. Serve and enjoy!