Pato con Mole de...Pato con Mole de Cereza Negra

Pan-seared duck breast served over a silky sunchoke purée, drizzled with a rich, complex black cherry and roasted chile mole.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the dried chiles (ancho, guajillo, pasilla) for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not burnt. Transfer them to a bowl, pour over 1 cup of hot chicken stock, and let them rehydrate for 15 minutes.

2. 02

   In the same dry skillet, toast the pepitas until they pop and turn golden brown. Remove and set aside.

3. 03

   Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, and 1 cup of the cherries in 1 tablespoon of butter until caramelized, about 6-8 minutes. Add the toasted pepitas, rehydrated chiles (with their soaking liquid), the remaining chicken stock, and the ground cinnamon. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. 04

   Transfer the mixture to a high-powered blender. Add the chopped Mexican chocolate and blend on high speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth. Strain the mole through a fine-mesh chinois into a clean saucepan. Season with kosher salt to taste and keep warm over low heat.

5. 05

   For the purée: Boil the peeled sunchokes in salted water until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a blender with the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Blend until ultra-smooth and velvety. Season with salt and keep warm.

6. 06

   Season the scored duck breasts generously with salt and pepper. Place them skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet. Place over medium-low heat to slowly render the fat, about 8-10 minutes, pouring off excess fat as it accumulates, until the skin is golden brown and shattered-crisp.

7. 07

   Flip the duck breasts and sear the flesh side for 2-3 minutes until medium-rare (internal temperature of 135°F / 57°C). Remove from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

8. 08

   To serve, spoon a generous pool of the sunchoke purée onto the center of the plate. Slice the duck breast on the bias and fan it over the purée. Spoon the velvety black cherry mole elegantly alongside the duck. Garnish with the remaining fresh halved cherries and micro cilantro.