Duck and cep broth

Serves 2

I always think that it is such a shame to throw away poultry carcasses whether they are cooked or raw. They are perfect for making soups and stocks as simple or sophisticated as you like. I've used ceps in this recipe (which are around at the moment, incidentally, if you're a forager). Alternatively, you could use any other seasonal mushrooms such as chanterelles or pieds de mouton or any cultivated mushrooms.

For the stock

The carcass or bones from the duck
Half a tablespoon of duck fat
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
A few sprigs of thyme
10 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 litre chicken stock
1/2tbsp of Madeira or medium sherry

To garnish the soup

1 leek, halved, cut into rough 1cm squares and washed
150g small firm ceps or wild mushrooms, cleaned
1tbsp chopped parsley

Heat about half a tablespoon of the duck fat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and fry the duck bones, onion, carrot and celery for 5-6 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the peppercorns, thyme, garlic and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 1 hour, skimming every so often. Strain though a fine meshed sieve and place into a clean saucepan. Remove any pieces of meat from the duck carcass and put to one side. Add the leeks to the duck stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Then add the ceps and continue to simmer to 4-5 minutes. Finally, add the parsley and pieces of duck meat and adjust the seasoning if necessary and add the Madeira sherry. Serve immediately.