Difficulty: Intermediate
As a professional chef with years of experience in French cuisine, I recommend preheating your oven to thermostat 6 (180°C).
Season the inside of the duckling can with salt and pepper, then coat generously with 50 g of butter. Place in a roasting dish and cook for 40 minutes.
Finely mince the peeled garlic and combine with the chestnut honey and thyme leaves.
Once the duckling starts to brown, brush it with the honey mixture. Repeat several times during cooking, basting regularly with its own juices for maximum flavor.
Peel the pears, keeping their stems intact.
Heat the white wine in a saucepan and gently poach the pears for about 15 minutes until just tender but still firm.
Dice the smoked duck breast finely. Peel and chop the onion. In a pan, melt the remaining butter and sauté the diced breast for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the coarsely crushed chestnuts, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
Drain the pears, slice off the tops at one-third height, and carefully hollow them out. Fill with the chestnut mixture and replace the tops.
Arrange the stuffed pears around the duckling in the dish to warm through as the duck finishes cooking.
Garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve piping hot, with the jus in a sauceboat.
