Corti's Kitchen Note: Braised Duck

Winter heralds many things; the arrival of redwings, fieldfare and short-eared owls, the first frosts, the frantic digging out of mittens, hats and scarves and in the kitchen, it needs to be cool before you bring the big casserole dish out after its long hibernation over summer. Not only because this substantial piece of cast iron weighs quite a bit, so you don't want to put it back straight away, but also because autumn and winter are ideal seasons for braising. This explicitly slow method of cooking requires the oven to be on for hours, which would only heat up your house or flat on a hot summer's day.