Duck Parcels
Preheat the oven to 200°C

1 shallot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon dill
4 slices bacon or pancetta, chopped
2 duck breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cooked beetroot (not pickled)
375g puff pastry *
A little beaten egg.

Place the chopped shallot, celery, carrot, dill and bacon or pancetta in a bowl and mix together.
Slice the beetroot and set aside.
Remove the skin from the duck breasts and discard.  Wash &dry the meat and season with salt & pepper.
Cut the pastry into four pieces a little larger than a duck breast.  Brush two pieces of the pastry with beaten egg and divide the vegetable mixture between them leaving  a border round the edge, place a duck breast on top of each. Divide the beetroot slices between them, placing them on top of the duck.  Brush the other two pieces of pastry with the egg and place egg side down on top to form a parcel. Seal round the edges with a fork. Brush over the top of each parcel with egg and put a couple of slits along the top.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until dark golden in colour.
Serve with a spicy sauce, fantail roast potatoes and a green salad.

This spicy sauce recipe came with a bottle of Cassis and works well with the parcels.

Spicy Sauce

1 teaspoon butter
1 shallot
50 ml cassis
150 ml red wine
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
50g butter chilled

Melt a teaspoon of butter over low heat and add the chopped shallot. Stir gently for about 5 minutes to soften, add the cassis and simmer to reduce to about 1 tablespoonful.  Add the wine, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and simmer again until reduced by half.  Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.  Cube the butter and add to the sauce a little at a time, stirring constantly.
Season and serve immediately.

* I use ready rolled