It’s summer time: a season of patio outings, rooftop parties, fancy picnics and celebrations all around!

This month, we collaborated with Nespresso’s team to feature two special recipes that are perfect for any festive occasion, and for the entire family!

Recipe 1 – Nespresso duck a l’orange

Prepared by Romain Avril, Nespresso Chef Ambassador

Ingredients

Ontario duck breast x 1 pc (6oz)

Baby carrot x 2.5 pcs

Compressed clementines x 2 wedges

Microwave sponge x 3 pcs

Carrot puree x 5 dollups

Orange sauce x 1 dollup

Nasturtium x 3 stems

Duck recipe

Brine:

1 breast

1 litre of water

30 g salt

15 g sugar

½ orange zest

1 pod of Nespresso Indrya indian grand cru

¼ tbsp coriander seeds

¼ tbsp fennel seeds

½ stick cinnamon

Bring it to the boil and let it cool, then add the duck.

Brine for 24 hours then pat dry, then let it air dry for 2 hours.

Score the skin and put it in a hot cast iron (skin down), butter baste it. Then let it rest.

The process—from start to finish—should be no longer than 6 minutes for a nice medium rare duck.

When you ready to plate it, trim the edges and finish it with fleur de sel.

Compressed clementine recipe

Orange juice 60 g

Grand marnier 1 oz

Rice wine vinegar 120 g

Sugar 40 g

Clementine wedges 1 full

Bring all the ingredients to the boil, then cool down, add the liquid to the clementine and compress it with a vacuum sealer.

Carrot puree recipe

150 g carrot

75 g orange juice

1 knob butter

1 pinch cumin and coriander seeds (ground)

Peel and dice the carrot and cook all the ingredients together till the carrots are soft.

Strain but keep the liquid, blitz the carrot in a vita mix with some of the liquid, pass and rectify the seasoning.

Store it in a small squiz bottle or a piping bag.

Orange sauce recipe

100 g orange juice

15 g champ vinegar

2 g agar agar

½ stick cinnamon

1 berry all spice

½ pc star anis

Simmer and infuse all the ingredients but the agar. Strain the liquid and the back to a low heat, whisk the agar in, let it cook for 2 minutes, then let it cool and set.

Blitz the set gel in a vita mix and pass. Reserve in a squizz bottle or piping bag.

Orange carrot microwave sponge recipe

3 eggs

30 g flour

75 g carrot puree (from recipe above)

1 g salt

60 g sugar

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the carrot puree, and the eggs.

Put the mix in an ISI gun with 3 charges.

In a 1-litre plastic deli container, use a sharp knife and 2 incisions in the bottom of the cup, then shoot the mix from the ISI half way through the litre container. Then bake it in the microwave for 45 seconds and let it rest.

Once cold, extract it, break it to pieces and dehydrate overnight.

Baby carrots recipe

3 baby carrots

20 g orange juice

1 sprig of thyme

½ star anis

¼ cinnamon stick

15 g butter

5 ml white wine

Brush the carrots under water with a scouring pad, halve them and put them in a bag with orange juice, spices, herbs, butter and wine.

Cook it sous vide at 75°C until soft, then glaze them in a pan with the cooking liquid.

And – voilà!

Recipe 2 – Nespresso Summer on Ice mocktail

Prepared by Chris Anderson, Head Mixologist at Lavelle

Ingredients

1 Nespresso Leggero On Ice capsule

2 oz of coconut water

1 oz vanilla syrup

10 muddled mint leaves

Recipe

Shake everything together.

Take the mint leaves into one hand, and hit them lightly with the back of your other hand, to release their flavour.

Serve on ice with a mint sprig!