Duck Confit Amuse Bouche with Duck Fat Crostini, Charred Spring Onion Soubise and Pickled Romanesco
Ingredients
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1 Head of Romanesco, broken into little pinkie-fingertip-sized pieces
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2 cups Rice Wine Vinegar
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1 cup Water
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1/2 cup Sugar
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1 cup Kosher Salt
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1 cup Granulated Sugar
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2 Tbsp Pink Peppercorns
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2 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
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2 Star Anise
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Zest of 3 Limes
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Peel of 1 Orange, chopped
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3 Sprigs Thyme
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1 Sprig Rosemary
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Tinted Cure Mix (*multiply weight of both duck legs and multiply by .004 to find amount of TCM needed)
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1 Shallot
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3 Cloves Garlic
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1 Duck Carcass
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3 Spring Onions with bulb attached, cut in half lengthwise
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1 Carrot, roughly chopped
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2 Bay Leaves
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2 Sprigs Thyme
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Water as needed
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Blended Oil, as needed for sautéing
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5 Cloves Garlic, crushed
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2 oz White Wine
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6 oz Heavy Cream
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Duck Stock as needed
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Salt and Pepper to taste
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3 Tbsp Rendered Duck Fat
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4 Pieces Crusty French Bread, cut into 3/4 inch crostini rounds
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Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Pickled Romanesco (Needs to be made in advance)
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1
Add all components but the romanesco to a small saucepot and bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over romanesco into a nonreactive container; cool and let pickle for at least 12 hours.
Duck and Cure
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1
Fabricate duck into wings, breasts, leg and thigh combos, and carcass. Remove the skin from the carcass and 1 breast and reserve all but the legs for later. Mix all the ingredients but the duck together in a bowl to create cure. Place the duck legs in the cure, making sure to distribute it evenly all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16 hours.
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2
In a small saucepot, render duck fat from skin removed earlier. Remove duck legs from cure and purge under running water until very clean. Pat dry and let stand in fridge until extremely dry on the surface. Once dried, place in sauté pan and render fat out on medium-low to medium heat. Once most of the underlying fat is gone, raise heat to medium-high to give a golden sear. Add duck legs to saucepot with duck fat, shallots and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and cook in a 220 degree F oven for approximately 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is extremely tender. Store in the fat (cool if necessary) until needed.
Soubise
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1
Roast duck carcass in oven until browned. Place in small stockpot with 1 spring onion, carrot, bay leaf and thyme and cover with water. Slowly bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about one hour or until the stock has achieved a nice body and duck flavor. Skim impurities and reserve stock.
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2
Char the spring onions on the grill until slightly blackened, but not burnt. Remove from grill and add to a hot, heavy-bottomed sauteuse and sauté with garlic until wilted and broken down. Deglaze with white wine and reduce au sec. Lower heat to medium-low and add cream. Reduce and let cream thicken. While still hot, blend everything in strong blender until very smooth, then season to taste.
Duck Fat Crostini
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1
Season bread with salt and pepper. Heat fat in a sauté pan or on a hot plancha and crisp the bread on both sides until fat is absorbed and surface is golden brown and crispy.
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2
To begin service, heat the duck confit in its own fat. Once hot, pull the meat from the bone and remove the skin. Remove a few pieces of the romanesco from the pickling liquid so as to not have runny wetness on the plate. Place a few tablespoons of the soubise across the plate, starting with a large dollop and moving to a narrower tip. Place a crostini in the middle of the sauce. Top crostini with one quarter of the total meat of the duck confit. Garnish with pieces of romanesco on both the duck and the sauce.
