Home-smoked breast of Norfolk duck with pimento and onion compote, crispy potatoes and sherry vinaigrette – by Henry Brosi
Ingredients (serves five)
2 duck supreme (160g each), boneless
For smoking the duck 100g oak wood chips
1 head garlic
½ bunch fresh marjoram
For crispy potatoes 2 large Maris Piper or Desirée potatoes
50g unsalted butter
For shallot compote 250g shallots
250ml goose fat
1sprig rosemary
1 clove of garlic
For pimento compote (500g) 750g red pimentos
60ml olive oil
10g rock salt
5g thyme
125g shallots
10g garlic
250ml chicken stock
Salt
2g black pepper
2g turmeric
2g ground cardamom
For the sherry vinaigrette 120ml chicken roasting juices sediment
10ml sherry vinegar
5ml pumpkin seed oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the garnish
25g vegetable brunoise (carrot, swede, leek)
2 spring onions
100ml chicken stock
25g frisée salad
1 bunch thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method Place the duck breasts in an oven-top smoker. Cold-smoke the duck over oak wood chips, garlic and marjoram for about 45 minutes. After smoking, seal the duck on both sides. Bake in a pre-heated oven on a low heat (60ºC) for 45 minutes (the core temperature of the duck should be 60ºC).
Peel the potatoes and finely shred on the fine blade of a Chinese mandolin. Spread the shredded potato very thinly on Silpat mats to form 15 circles of 8cm in diameter. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with melted butter. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 120ºC until the circles have a nice golden-brown colour.
Slice the shallots and cook very slowly in the goose fat together with the garlic and rosemary until they are soft, sweet and golden-brown. When ready, drain the goose fat and keep the shallot compote in a warm place.
For the pimento compote, preheat the oven to 200ºC. Put the red pimentos on a roasting tray and sprinkle over some olive oil, rock salt and thyme. Roast the pimentos in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until skins are nicely wrinkled. Remove them from the oven and place immediately into a container of ice water. Once the pimentos are cold, peel off the skin, cut them in half and remove all the seeds. Chop into chunky pieces and reserve.
Using a copper pan, sweat the chopped shallots and garlic until translucent and then add the chopped pimentos and chicken stock. Leave on the side of the stove and cook very slowly for about 2½ -3 hours. The compote is ready when it has a marmalade-style texture.
Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, turmeric and ground cardamom. Keep in a warm place. (Keep any remaining compote in the freezer for future use.)
For the sherry vinaigrette, put the chicken sediment into a saucepan and warm up gently. Add sherry vinegar and seasoning. Add extra virgin olive oil. Set aside and keep warm.
To prepare the garnish, cook the vegetable brunoise and drain. Cook the spring onions in chicken stock, drain and season. Toss the frisée in a little vinaigrette. Garnish with sprigs of thyme.
To finish the dish, sprinkle the vegetable dice, thyme and onions around the edge of the plate. Slice the duck breast (six slices per portion). Place some pimento compote in the centre of the plate. Put one potato disc on top of the compote. Place 1tsp of pimento compote on top of the disc and then three slices of duck, then 1tsp of onion compote. Place another disc of potato on top of that and repeat the above procedure. Finish the tower with a third potato disc, garnishing the top with frisée. Drizzle rest of vinaigrette around the plate. Spoon little drops of pumpkin seed oil on to the vinaigrette around the plate and serve.
Henry Brosi
Photo © Tom Stockhill
