Pato con Mole Blanco...Pato con Mole Blanco de Piñón y Brevas al Mezcal

An elevated celebration of Central Mexican cuisine featuring dry-aged duck breast with a satiny white mole made from toasted pine nuts and Mexican white chocolate, balanced by mezcal-torched black mission figs and aromatic epazote oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Blanch the fresh epazote leaves in boiling salted water for 6 seconds, immediately shock in an ice bath, then thoroughly squeeze dry. Blend with 100ml grapeseed oil at 70°C for 5 minutes in a high-speed blender; strain through an oil filter to yield a brilliant green epazote oil.

2. 02

   In a heavy ceramic pan over low heat, gently toast the pine nuts and Marcona almonds until fragrant without taking on color. Remove and reserve.

3. 03

   In the same pan, sweat the sliced white onion, garlic, and habanero in a splash of duck fat over very low heat until completely translucent and sweet, roughly 12 minutes, ensuring no browning occurs.

4. 04

   Add the toasted nuts and poultry stock to the sweated aromatics. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Transfer the warm mixture to a blender, add the chopped white chocolate, and blend on high speed for 3 minutes until an impeccably smooth, velvet-like emulsion forms. Strain through a fine chinois, season with fine sea salt, and keep warm.

5. 05

   Dust the cut sides of the halved figs with grated piloncillo and a few drops of mezcal. Caramelize the cut surfaces directly with a culinary blowtorch until blistered and smoking, then set aside.

6. 06

   Season the scored duck breasts with salt. Place skin-side down in a cold cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Slowly render the skin for 9–11 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Flip, baste with rendered fat, and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes until the internal temperature registers 54°C (medium-rare). Rest on an elevated rack for 8 minutes before carving.

7. 07

   To plate: Pool a generous circle of silky Mole Blanco onto the base of warm, wide ceramic bowls. Slice each rested duck breast into thick medallions and arrange over the mole. Nestle three torched mezcal fig halves alongside, dot with vibrant green epazote oil, and finish the duck with crystals of Flor de Sal.