Priya & Ben Watson of The Golden Ball in Lower Assendon share two special winter recipes which have the ‘wow’ factor!
The Golden Ball – Henley-on-Thames
Roasted breast of English duck with carrots, Swiss chard and wild mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• Four duck breasts
• 10 large carrots
• One bunch of Swiss Chard
• 250g of wild mushrooms
• Two large potatoes
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 100g unsalted butter
To garnish (optional)
• One carrot shaved with a peeler
• Carrot tops
For the sauce:
• 1kg of chopped duck bones (ask your butcher to do this for you!)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 stick of celery chopped
• 1 cloves of garlic
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1/2 bottle of red wine
• Two litres of fresh beef stock
Method
1. Start by making the duck sauce. Get a large pan on a high heat and when hot add some flavourless oil followed by the duck bones. Allow the bones to roast in the pan until golden brown then add the chopped vegetables, garlic, thyme and peppercorns. Stir until combined and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes. Next, add the wine and reduce by 3/4 then add the stock. Reduce the sauce on a medium heat for around 30-40 minutes or until it has thickened to a sauce consistency. Pass through a sieve and discard the solids. Retain the sauce in a pan until required.
2. Next, make the carrot puree. Add some flavourless oil to a medium sized pan and warm up on a low heat. Peel and finely slice six of the carrots, add them to the pan and add a pinch of salt. Give them a stir then cover with water and cover. Keep cooking on a low heat for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked, transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Allow to cool and set aside.
3. While the puree is cooking, prepare the fondant potatoes. Preheat the oven to 180oc. Peel the potatoes and slice them in half lengthways. Using a knife, trim the 4 halves so they resemble a circular shape then transfer to a deep baking tray. Divide the butter into four and place on each potato. Season with salt and pepper then add the stock to the tray and place in the oven for 40 mins or until cooked through. Use the tip of a sharp knife to check they are cooked through but be careful as they will be fragile. Allow to cool and set aside.
4. Next cook the Duck. Starting warming a large frying pan big enough for the duck breasts on a low heat. Season the duck breasts with salt and once warm, add 1 tbsp of flavourless oil to the pan. Add the duck skin side down and gently fry for around 12 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Next flip the duck over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
5. Whilst the duck is resting, prepare the rest of the ingredients for finishing the dish. Warm up the potatoes in the oven and the puree & sauce in separate pans. Put a medium frying pan on a high heat and when hot add 1tbsp of oil. Once hot, add the mushrooms to the pan and quickly fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and season with salt and pepper. Use the same pan to cook your Chard leaves letting them wilt for about 1 minute, then removing and seasoning with salt.
6. Finish the dish by placing 2 spoonfuls of the puree on each plate followed by a potato. Carve the duck in two lengthways and place both slices on the plate. Cover with the mushrooms and chard and pour some sauce over each plate.
7. Finish with the raw carrot slices and carrot tops.
Chocolate Macaron
Ingredients:
Chocolate Ganache Macaron Filling
• 120g semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 20g unsalted butter
• 120g double cream
Chocolate Macarons
• 110g aged (separated 24 hours before making) egg whites – about 4 large eggs
• 110g granulated sugar
• 126g superfine almond flour
• 126g powdered sugar
• 14g unsweetened cocoa powder
Cherry ice cream
• 250ml Double cream
• 250ml milk
• 90g egg yolk
• 90g caster sugar
Recipe
Chocolate Ganache Macaron Filling
1. The chocolate ganache filling needs about 2 hours to set, so I recommend making it first.
2. Place 120g of semi-sweet chocolate and 20g of unsalted butter in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
3. Pour 120g double cream into a heat-proof bowl and heat in 15 second intervals in the microwave until it just begins to bubble. Pour the cream over the chocolate and butter. Make sure all the chocolate is submerged beneath the cream. Let the mixture sit for a couple minutes.
4. Use a hand blender or a spoon to mix the ganache until the mixture has come together and is smooth.
5. Press a piece of cling film flush against the ganache to prevent a skin from foaming.
6. Place the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
Chocolate Macarons
1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
2. Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage where you can see the whisk leaving faint tracks in the egg whites.
3. Gradually add 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Sift 126g superfine almond flour, 126g powdered sugar, and 14g of cocoa powder into the meringue, then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.
5. Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8’s with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
6. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 6 2 1/2 inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
7. Pipe one pan at a time and bang the pan firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
8. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 157 C.
9. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 18-20 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.
10. Remove the pan from the oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.
Assembling These Chocolate Macarons
1. Place the chilled ganache in a small piping bag fit with a large round piping tip. It should be thick enough to scoop into the piping bag and hold its shape.
2. Pipe a thick dollop of chocolate ganache on one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the ganache to create a sandwich.
Cherry Ice Cream
• 600ml single cream
• 200g whole milk
• 8 free-range medium egg yolks
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 200ml double cream
• For the cherry sauce
• 400g ripe cherries, stoned and roughly chopped
• 60g caster sugar
Method
1. Put the single cream and milk in a pan and warm until steaming. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl and put it on top of a pan of barely simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water), then mix in the cream/milk with a balloon whisk.
2. Stir the custard regularly with a wooden spoon, heating it gently over the hot water until the custard thickens to a pouring consistency and coats the back of a spoon (10-15 minutes). Remove from the heat, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and mix in the vanilla paste and double cream.
3. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn until thick and smooth (or see tips).
4. Meanwhile, to make the cherry sauce, put the cherries and sugar in a small saucepan and gently simmer for 5-8 minutes until they break down and are soft and juicy. Spoon into a mini food processor (or use a stick blender) and whizz until smooth, then push through a fine sieve with the back of a spoon, discarding any solids left in the sieve.
5. Once the ice cream has finished churning of after your last whizz in the food processor or mixer, swirl the cherry ripple sauce through the mixture, then carefully spoon the ice cream into a plastic lidded container and freeze for at least 4 hours or until solid.
You’ll get the smoothest results with an ice cream machine, but if you don’t have one, pour the custard, without the ripple, into a plastic container and freeze for 1 hour. Scrape into a food processor or electric mixer and whizz until smooth. Freeze for 30-60 minutes, then repeat the process 2-3 times. Ripple in the cherry, then freeze.
Latest posts
- The Bartholomew Players’ to stage classic Agatha Christie’s whodunit
- Henley Arts Trail celebrates 20 years in 2026
- Spire Thames Valley Hospital awarded gold for commitment to patient safety
- GuilFest 2026: Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Proclaimers to headline Guildford’s biggest summer festival
- The Ivy Collection reveals special menu for Mother’s Day 2026
- New family mystery trail launches at RHS Garden Wisley
