Sansho & Fermented Chili...Sansho & Fermented Chili Lacquered Duck Breast

Dry-aged duck breast scored and rendered to crisp perfection, glazed with a prickly Sansho pepper reduction, paired with a fermented Fresno chili gastrique and velvety sunchoke silk.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, sweat the sliced sunchokes in 20g butter over low heat until tender. Add the cream, simmer for 8 minutes, then transfer to a high-speed blender. Purée until glossy and silky; season with fine sea salt and keep warm at 60°C.

2. 02

   To prepare the gastrique, combine acacia honey, blood orange juice, fermented Fresno paste, and cracked Sansho peppercorns in a copper reduction pan. Reduce over medium heat until syrupy, then deglaze with aged sherry vinegar. Emulsify with 20g of cold cubed butter off the heat and strain through a fine chinois.

3. 03

   Score the duck breast skin in a tight 2mm crosshatch pattern without piercing the flesh. Season generously with fine sea salt on all sides.

4. 04

   Place the duck skin-side down in a cold cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Slowly render the subcutaneous fat for 12–14 minutes, continuously draining excess fat, until the skin turns deep mahogany and ultra-crisp.

5. 05

   Flip the breasts to flesh-side down, add remaining 20g butter to the pan, and baste continuously for 2 minutes until internal core temperature registers 52°C (rare/medium-rare). Remove and rest on a wire rack for 8 minutes.

6. 06

   Brush the crisp duck skin with the spiced honey-Sansho reduction and briefly flash under a salamander or hot broiler for 30 seconds to caramelize.

7. 07

   Carve each duck breast into thick angled medaillons. Spoon a swoosh of sunchoke purée onto warm ceramic plates, pool the fermented chili-Sansho gastrique alongside, arrange duck medaillons, finish with dots of habanero chili oil, and garnish with micro red shiso and Maldon salt.