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1
Cut the smoked duck into a fine dice and place it, skin side down, in a heavy-bottom casserole over medium heat along with the pancetta.
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2
Cook for 3 minutes to release the fat from the meat, stir and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
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3
Remove half the meat, drain well and set aside.
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4
Add the onion and carrots, stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
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5
Add the bay leaf, the split peas and the chicken broth, stir, partly cover and simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour until the peas are tender.
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6
Adjust the consistency of the soup with more chicken broth if necessary to achieve a thick, but still soupy, consistency.
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7
Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
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8
The soup can be made to this point up to one day before serving.
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9
A half-hour before serving, warm the soup.
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10
Place the lemon juice in a bowl with a dash of salt and several grinds of black pepper.
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11
Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
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12
Add the reserved duck and pancetta and toss.
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13
Add the watercress and set aside.
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14
When the soup is hot, stir in the heavy cream, quickly and vigorously.
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15
You want to completely enrich the soup while smashing as few peas as possible.
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16
Serve garnished with the duck and watercress salad.
