Ciao.

One of the most amazing things about Italy is how busy it can be, yet you can learn about the history, the architecture, and the passion and feel so relaxed and at ease. Cooking in the kitchen is exactly the same way, the chef could be yelling and screaming at you because you aren't stirring fast enough or the pine nuts are a little bit too brown, yet when you taste the food, you know it was worth all the commotion.

Duck Breast with Apple, Celeriac Pure, and Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:
2 apples
sugar 40 grams

dark chocolate 40 grams and few flakes to garnish
1 breast of duck
dried apricots (4)
walnuts, pine nuts, almonds 40 grams
butter
extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper

Slice the apples into half moon pieces, color in a frying pan with a little butter and sugar, then cook them on parchment at 200 degrees C for about 8-10 minutes. You can skip the cooking in the oven if you fry the apples until they have a little softness to them, but still have a crunch.
Dice the celery into pieces and boil in milk (put the celery in the pot and then barely cover with milk, bring to a boil), after the milk has boiled, drain the celery and put the celery in a blender. Once the celery is a pure, put the pure back on the heat with a little butter and salt and pepper until the pure is warm, set aside until the final dish is ready.
Clean up the duck breast, leaving the skin on one side. In the skin (JUST THE SKIN, do not cut the meat), make a few cross cuts, season the duck with some salt and pepper, then sear the duck on both sides with some olive oil. Sear until there is a crunch to the skin. Finish cooking the duck in the oven at 200 degrees C for about 8-10 minutes.
With the pan the duck was cooked in, remove the fat then add some water and deglaze the pan. then put the chocolate and the butter into the pan to create the chocolate sauce.
Place a little pure in a ring mold, add the apple and a few chocolate flakes. Place the duck (now fully cooked and sliced) next to the pure and sprinkle with chocolate sauce and black pepper. Garnish with the sliced apricots and chopped nuts.

Bon Appetit