Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with...Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with Black Garlic & Cherry Glaze

Crispy-skinned duck breast infused with fragrant Lapsang Souchong smoke, resting on a velvety ginger-parsnip puree and glazed with a rich, glossy black garlic and tart cherry reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the puree: Simmer chopped parsnips and grated ginger in salted boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain, then transfer to a high-speed blender with cream, 20g of cold butter, and a pinch of salt. Process until silky smooth. Pass through a fine tamis sieve and keep warm.

2. 02

   Set up the stove-top smoker: Line a heavy cast-iron wok or Dutch oven with double-layered aluminum foil. Combine Lapsang Souchong tea, jasmine rice, brown sugar, and five-spice at the bottom. Place a steamer rack over the mixture.

3. 03

   Cold-smoke the duck: Season scored duck breasts with sea salt. Place skin-side up on the rack inside the smoker. Cover tightly with a lid and heat over high flame until smoke forms (about 3 minutes). Turn heat to low and smoke for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes, then extract duck.

4. 04

   Make lotus chips: Heat neutral oil to 180°C (350°F). Fry thin lotus root slices in batches until light golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with flaky sea salt.

5. 05

   Prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, bring Shaoxing wine to a boil and reduce by half. Add duck stock, mashed black garlic paste, halved cherries, and tamari. Simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until reduced to a syrupy reduction. Off heat, whisk in the remaining 20g cold butter to gloss the glaze.

6. 06

   Sear the duck: Place smoked duck breasts skin-side down in a cold dry skillet. Set flame to medium-low to render fat gradually for 8-10 minutes until skin is golden brown and shattered crisp. Flip and cook for 2 minutes until internal temperature hits 57°C (135°F) for medium-rare. Rest for 5 minutes on a warm board.

7. 07

   Plating: Carve duck breasts into 5mm thick slices. Swoosh a generous spoon of warm ginger-parsnip puree across each plate. Fan sliced duck over the puree, drizzle reduction and cherries around, and garnish with crispy lotus root chips.