Chef Ray Miller,
York The Hotel
Chef Ray chose to feature duck because he says it is the best thing he has ever eaten. This elegant presentation features a taste of duck confit, succulent duck breasts and rich foie gras. Raw duck foie gras and whole duck can be purchased at Stephen & Andrews. Note: This recipe takes three days to prepare.
Ingredients
Confit and duck breasts
1 kg duck
2 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
¼ cup olive oil
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Sauce
2 large onions, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp black peppercorns
5 L water
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp flour
pinch cardamom (optional)
pinch five spice powder (optional)
Foie gras
100g grade A foie gras
Method
Confit and duck breasts
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wash duck thoroughly in cold water. Remove neck and kidneys from inside duck.
3. Remove the legs and thighs and place in a roasting pan.
4. Place the rest of the duck carcass on a cutting board. Using a boning knife, carefully remove the breasts from the bones by running the knife on each side of the breast bone. The breasts will easily pull away. Place carcass in roasting pan with the thighs.
5. Trim fat from breasts, leaving a small square the size of the breast. Score fat with a sharp knife. Add fat trimmings to roasting pan.
6. Place breasts in a casserole dish. Season breasts with kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate overnight.
7. Season carcass and thighs with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Roast for approx 40 min, or until skin is golden brown. Cool and refrigerate the same night as the breasts.
8. Take the thighs out of the fridge and place in a casserole dish. Cover with thyme, peppercorns and drippings from the roasting pan. If drippings do not cover the thighs and carcass completely, top up with canola oil.
9. Cover casserole with foil and cook thighs and carcass in oven at 350°F for 1 hour and 25 min, or until meat begins to fall off the bone.
10. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating overnight.
11. The following day, preheat oven to 350°F and heat the thighs and carcass for approx 15 min to melt the fat. Remove from oven.
12. Carefully remove the thighs and carcass from fat and place on a cookie sheet to cool.
13. Pick off all meat from thighs and carcass and save bones for stock. Reserve fat. Place meat (confit) in fridge until ready to assemble dish.
Sauce
1. In a large pot over high heat, melt a ¼ cup of the reserved fat. Sauté the carrots and onions with the peppercorns until onions begin to caramelize.
2. Add reserved bones to the pot. Stir in thyme, water and tomato paste.
3. Simmer for one hour, or until reduced by half.
4. Strain liquid into a smaller pot and discard bones.
5. Add cardamom and five spice. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer at med-high heat until reduced by 1/3, approx 30 min.
6. In a small bowl, mix together butter and flour to create a beurre manié.
7. Whisk beurre manié into sauce and stir until thickened, approx 2 min.
Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat a small frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add breasts, fat side down, and sear approx 3 min. Flip and cook another 1 ½ min.
3. Place breasts in a small pan and put in oven for 4 min, or until the internal temp reads 120°F for med rare.
4. Remove from heat and let rest 5 min before slicing each breast into four slices on the bias.
5. In a small saucepan over med heat, heat confit with a little of the reserved fat.
6. Place confit equally into four ramekins. Press lightly and invert onto four plates, leaving the ramekins in place.
3. Slice foie gras into four equal pieces.
4. In a small frying pan over high heat, sear foie gras slices for 30 sec per side. Remove from heat and place one slice on each plate.
5. Just before serving, remove ramekin from confit. Top with 2 pieces of duck breast. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of sauce around confit for each plate.
Tasting Notes
The confit offers rich taste with a lovely, delicate mouthfeel while the velvety foie gras has luxurious, buttery undertones. The tender, unctuous duck breast melts in the mouth.
Yield 4 servings