Spiced duck breast

Chinese spiced duck breasts

Ingredients

4 duck breasts
Chinese 5 spices*
plain flour
white vermouth

Set the oven to 200°C.
Pat the duck breasts dry with some paper towelling.
Cover both sides with the ground spices and sprinkle salt sparingly.
Place in oven in a roasting tin for 20 minutes.
Remove breasts and set aside.
Place roasting tin on stove and add heaped tablespoon flour. Scrape round with a wooden spoon to incorporate any bits in the tin. Add wine glass of white vermouth; let the alcohol boil off. Add sufficient chicken stock to make a sauce. Adjust seasoning.
Carve the duck into 1 cm thick slices.
Serve on a bed of rice accompanied by the sauce and a green vegetable of choice.

Note:
Chinese 5 spices. 

Grind together:
1 teaspoon cloves
I heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
4 cm cinnamon bark
1 teaspoon dry roasted Szechuan peppers
2 star anise

The time of roasting depends on how you like your duck meat (well done to pink) and the thickness of the breasts. I usually check the temperature with a meat thermometer.