Honey-Lavender Duck Breast With Duck Confit Bread Pudding, Kabocha Squash Puree, Cherry Gastrique and Duck Jus
Recipe courtesy of Joe Gianzero, Executive Sous Chef, The Sanctuary Golf Club
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Honey-Lavender Seasoning:
- szechuan peppercorn - 1 cup, whole
- cumin - 1/2 cup, whole
- coriander - 1/2 cup, whole
- Victoria Spice Herbs de Provence - 1 cup
- Ingredients for Duck Confit:
- kosher salt - 8 oz.
- tinted curing mix or pink curing salt - 1 Tbsp.
- juniper berries - 8 ea.
- bay leaves - 4 ea.
- black peppercorns - 8 ea.
- orange rind - 1 ea.
- cinnamon stick - 1 ea.
- coriander seeds - 8 ea.
- thyme - 1 bunch
- cloves - 4 ea.
- allspice - 1 tsp.
- Ingredients for Duck Confit Bread Pudding:
- white bread - 1 loaf, diced
- eggs - 8, whole
- heavy cream - 1 qt.
- parmesan cheese - 4 oz.
- salt - 2 oz.
- granulated garlic - 2 oz.
- parsley and chives - 2 oz., chopped
- duck confit - 1 lb.
- Ingredients for Kabocha Squash Puree:
- kabocha squash - 2 ea.
- heavy cream - 1 cup
- chicken stock - 1 cup
- butter - 4 oz., whole
Instructions
Procedure for Honey-Lavender Seasoning:
- Start by toasting all the whole spices separately.
- Then grind the spices in a coffee grinder.
- Mix all spices together and reserve for glazing the duck.
- Once ready to plate, lightly brush local honey on the duck breast and season with the lavender seasoning.
Chef's note: The Sanctuary Golf Club harvests its own honey on the golf course.
Procedure for Duck Confit:
- In a robot coupe, add all ingredients and blitz in order to grind the spices into the salt.
- Next, season duck leg quarters heavily with cure mixture and cryovac.
- Let ducks cure for 1 week.
- To break down the ducks, start by removing the neck, gizzards and wishbone. Reserve for making stock.
- Using a boning knife, remove the leg and thigh, keeping them connected. That will be used for making the duck confit.
- Brine the duck fronts for 1 hour.
- Remove the breast from the carcass and air dry for 3 days.
- For best results, pre-sear the duck first to get the skin nice and crispy before you sous vide the duck breast at 52 degrees Celsius or 125 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Once the duck legs have cured for a week, rinse off the cure mixture. Pat dry with a towel and add to cryovac bag with 4 ounces of duck fat.
- Sous vide at 70 degrees Celsius or 158 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 hours.
Procedure for Duck Confit Bread Pudding:
- In a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients.
- Pour the custard over the bread and mix. Try not to break up the bread.
- Pour bread pudding on a half-sheet tray with parchment paper and bake in combi oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit with 40% humidity until custard is set (about 15-20 minutes).
Procedure for Kabocha Squash Puree:
- Cut squash in half and clean out the seeds.
- Season with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil and roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until fork tender.
- Scrape out the squash and add to Vita Mix.
- In a pot, bring cream and stock to boil, add to Vita Mix. Only add enough stock to reach desired consistency.
- Add whole butter, and blend on high until smooth. Taste
