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kitchenconfidential Appealing Appellation Duck breast with blackberries and juniper glaze Serves 4 Ingredients • 20g sea salt • ¼ tsp white pepper • 1 garlic clove • ½ cinnamon quill • ¼ star anise • ¼ tsp coriander seeds • zest of 1 orange • 4 Pekin duck breasts • 50ml brandy • 20ml port • 20ml good red wine (eg a heavier pinot noir) • 5 juniper berries • 2 sprigs thyme • 100g fresh blackberries • 60g veal glaze • roquette leaves, to garnish Method 1. Place salt, pepper, garlic, spices and orange zest in a food processor and pulse. Lightly dust duck breasts with salt mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours. 2. Brush salt mixture from duck breasts and grill slowly, skin side down, for 15 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes, then allow to rest. 3. To make the sauce, heat brandy, port, red wine, juniper berries and thyme in a saucepan and boil until well reduced. Add blackberries, crushing some gently with the back of a fork. Add veal glaze and heat gently until well incorporated. Remove juniper berries and thyme. 4. To serve, slice duck breasts, add sauce with blackberries, and garnish with roquette leaves. 36 Barossa Valley chef Ryan Edwards shares the recipe for Appellation restaurant's success with Riley Palmer. With the rise of the 'foodie' in recent times, it seems that everyone is a food critic – which makes the uncontested accolades received by Barossa Valley restaurant Appellation all the more noteworthy. Getting back to his regional roots, Ryan Edwards started at Apellation at The Louise in 2008 and was promoted to the role of executive chef in July 2012. "Appellation has many unique characteristics," he says, "and it wouldn't be as great without fresh local ingredients, used at the height of the season." It's true: the Barossa does offer lusciously fresh produce – but what sets Appellation apart is its approach to sustainability and ethical eating. "We strive to create as little wastage and use as much as we can from all food items," Ryan explains. "And we like to understand what it takes to produce a good product, whether it's an apple, an aged cheese or a two-year-old, air-dried ham. This understanding gives the chefs the respect for the produce to look after it and nurture it to its final destination." Ryan also instils in his chefs an appreciation for the integral role that food and wine has played throughout the Barossa Valley's history. "With such a rich heritage from both the English and the Prussians [Germans], food and wine has always been an important part of life here," he says. In an attempt to honour the region's cultural roots, Appellation incorporates several traditional forms of food preparation. "We smoke our own smallgoods and fish, and we preserve fruit and vegetables in abundance; we're currently poaching quinces from our own trees," Ryan says. "And we make use of what is around us, from picking prickly pears for juice in cocktails and jellies – a horrible job – to picking wild olives for our bar." It seems tradition is ever-present, even where modern cuisine is concerned. In fact, sometimes there's no escaping the past – a sentiment that resonates on a personal level for Ryan. Recalling the meandering journey he took to the kitchen, he says, "Growing up on a vineyard in the Barossa, I was always tinkering, leading me to believe engineering would be a good fit. But I found that it was a lot more 'behind the desk' than out in the paddock. And I was cooking at the time to pay the bills." The rest, as they say, is history. Coming full circle, back to the vineyards and paddocks in the Barossa, Ryan is in his element. His passion is palpable – and if you eat at Appellation, it's also delectable. www.thelouise.com.au