Duck lasagne with crispy duck winglets and turnip cream, by Madalene Bonvini-Hamel

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four as a main course)

For the crispy duck winglets
8 duck winglets (first winglets only, not the tips)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, peeled
10 coriander seeds
5 white peppercorns
1 large free-range egg
1tbs seasoned plain flour
120g dried breadcrumbs (preferably panko)

For the duck lasagne
140g type 00 pasta flour
Pinch of sea salt
1tsp olive oil
1 large free-range egg
2 large free-range egg yolks
1tbs unsalted butter
80g banana shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
80g celery, diced
80g leeks, diced
200g mixed wild mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
360g flaked confit duck leg meat (skinless and boneless)
3tbs chopped fresh mixed herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, chervil and chives)
150ml red wine sauce

For the turnip cream
50g unsalted butter
1kg turnips, peeled and roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100g onions, diced
2tbs plain flour
500ml white chicken stock
200ml double cream
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

METHOD
First, prepare the duck winglets. Preheat a waterbath to 78°C. Place the winglets in a vacuum pouch with the thyme, garlic, coriander seeds and peppercorns and seal on hard vacuum. Cook in the preheated waterbath for 10 hours, then chill the cooked winglets in iced water. Remove the cooked winglets from the bag (discard the rest of the ingredients) and gently pull the bones out so you are left with boneless winglets. Roll each boneless winglet to make a sausage shape and wrap in clingfilm, then place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and chill in the fridge for two hours.

Once the winglets are chilled and set, whisk the egg in a small bowl, place the seasoned flour in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Remove the clingfilm and roll each winglet first in the flour, then in the egg and lastly in the breadcrumbs. Return to the baking tray and chill in the fridge for a further two hours. When you are ready to serve, deep-fry the coated winglets at 160°C for 4-5 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve.

Meanwhile, make the pasta for the lasagne. In a food processor, blend the flour, salt, olive oil, egg and egg yolks together to form a firm dough. Shape the pasta dough into a ball, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour.

While the dough is resting, make the turnip cream. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the turnips, garlic, onions and salt and pepper, then cover and sweat over a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook for a further two minutes, stirring, then stir in the stock, increase the heat and simmer, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes or until the turnips are soft. Add the cream, bring the mixture back to a simmer for five minutes, then remove from the heat and blend the mixture to form a smooth, fairly thick cream. Set aside until needed. (The turnip cream can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It can then be used from chilled to assemble the lasagne.)

For the lasagne filling mixture, melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the shallots, garlic, celery, leeks, wild mushrooms and salt and pepper and sauté over a medium heat for about eight minutes or until slightly softened. Remove from the heat, then add the duck meat, herbs and red wine sauce and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. To assemble the individual lasagne, roll the pasta dough into thin sheets using a pasta machine, then cut out 12 discs of pasta large enough to fit four individual round oven-to-table serving dishes (each dish about 12cm diameter and 5cm deep - cast iron dishes are ideal). Spoon some duck mixture into the base of each serving dish, top this with a pasta disc, then spoon some turnip cream on top. Repeat the process two more times for each dish, ending with a layer of turnip cream on top of each one. Bake the lasagne in the oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown on top and the pasta is cooked.

Meanwhile, deep-fry and drain the coated duck winglets, as directed above.

Remove the lasagne from the oven and place two crispy duck winglets on top of each lasagne. Serve the baked lasagne immediately with braised round shallots, braised baby turnips and cooked baby leeks.