Duck Confit Carnitas with...Duck Confit Carnitas with Blackberry-Chiltepin Mole

Crispy, succulent duck leg confit carnitas served over a velvety, complex mole infused with fresh blackberries and smoky chiltepin peppers, garnished with pickled red onion pearls.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Generously season the duck legs with kosher salt. Allow them to cure at room temperature for 1 hour, then rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.

2. 02

   Preheat your oven to 225°F (110°C). Place the duck legs in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, covering them completely with melted duck fat. Add the orange peel, cinnamon stick, and 4 smashed garlic cloves.

3. 03

   Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Confit the duck for 3 hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender and pulling away from the bone.

4. 04

   While the duck cooks, prepare the mole. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chiltepin peppers and ancho chile for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot chicken stock, and let rehydrate for 15 minutes.

5. 05

   In the same skillet, sauté the chopped white onion and the remaining 2 garlic cloves in a tablespoon of duck fat until deeply caramelized. Transfer to a high-powered blender.

6. 06

   To the blender, add the rehydrated chiles with their soaking stock, 1 cup of fresh blackberries, toasted sesame seeds, and the Mexican chocolate. Blend on high until completely smooth and velvety.

7. 07

   Strain the mole puree through a fine-mesh chinois into a clean saucepan. Simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes to concentrate flavors. Season with salt to taste.

8. 08

   Carefully remove the duck legs from the fat. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the duck legs, skin-side down, for 5 minutes until the skin is incredibly crispy and golden. Shred the underside slightly while keeping the crispy skin intact.

9. 09

   To assemble, ladle a warm pool of the blackberry-chiltepin mole onto the center of each plate. Place a crispy duck leg atop the mole. Garnish artfully with pickled onion pearls, the remaining fresh blackberries, and micro-cilantro.