Lyndey Milan's twice-cooked duck with wilted endive

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan-forced).
2. Add ¾ olive oil to a large ovenproof casserole or baking dish and fry lardons for 1-2 minutes, then add the eschalots and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown.
3. Add carrot and leek and cook for another few minutes. Pour over stock, add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and then carefully place duck in the top. Cover and place in oven, and cook for 45 minutes or until duck is tender.
4. Remove from oven and increase temperature to 200ºC. Remove duck to a plate and strain cooking liquid, reserving vegetable lardon mixture and cooking liquid in separate bowls. Place duck back in the baking dish, skin side up. Pound together juniper, salt and pepper, and sprinkle over duck. Brush with balsamic vinegar and return to oven with carrots and cook until duck is brown and crisp, approximately 15 minutes or alternatively, place under fan grill until golden.
5. Cook corn in a pot of salted boiling water until not quite tender, about 6 minutes. Brush with remaining oil and place under hot grill or on pre-heated griddle, turning regularly to colour. Cut a flat base on one end. Place upright on board and cut downwards in lengths to create shards of corn.
6. Meanwhile, remove fat from reserved cooking liquid, place in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce by one-third. If necessary, dissolve cornflour in wine and whisk in until sauce returns to the boil. Return reserved vegetable lardon mixture to the sauce and season to taste.
7. To serve, quickly wilt endive in a pan with olive oil. Ladle sauce onto serving plates, top with endive, Dutch carrots, corn and duck Marylands.