Paul Kitching's duck with plum pudding, assiette of pear balsamic

Serves 4

4 trimmed, lean breasts of duck, skinned
50g/2oz plum pudding or fruit cake
125g/4oz long grain rice

For the pear purée

250g/8oz pears, chopped but not peeled
50ml/2fl oz sugar
50ml/2fl oz water
1 cinnamon stick

For the sauce

50ml/2fl oz balsamic vinegar
300ml/10fl oz brown vegetable stock
25ml/1fl oz double cream

For the pear purée, boil the sugar, water, pears and cinnamon in a pan for 40 minutes. Remove the cinnamon, blend, pass through a sieve and place in a squeezy bottle.

Bake the duck breast at 110C/225F/Gas 1/4 for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, crush the pudding and heat in a pan with the brown stock.

Lightly simmer the rice for five minutes, drain and refresh in cold water. Leave until dry to the touch then sauté in olive oil.

For the sauce, reduce the vinegar by half and the stock by three-quarters. Mix and add the cream. Slice the duck and arrange in a tower. Surround with the rice and place a dollop of pudding to alongside.