Name: Gressingham Duck Breast with Rhubarb Sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 Gressingham ducks; salt and pepper; mild olive oil, for frying; 285 ml (1/2 pint) red wine; 6 sticks forced rhubarb, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) chunks; 55 g (2 ounces) caster (superfine) sugar; 1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways and seeds scraped out; 4 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 140 ml (1/4 pint) reduced duck stock; Mild olive oil, for frying; 4 large carrots, roughly cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) dice; 2 celery sticks, roughly cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) dice; 2 large Spanish onions, roughly cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) dice; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 4 litres (8 pints) water

Editor's note: Steve Reynolds' recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from author Diana Henry's book The Gastropub Cookbook, a guide to more than 150 dining pubs in Britain and Ireland. Chef Reynolds also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

You can use good, strong chicken stock for this recipe instead of homemade duck stock — it won't be as rich, but it's better than not cooking the dish at all as it is heavenly!

Recipe notes

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