Five-Spice Duck Breast with...Five-Spice Duck Breast with Blood Orange Reduction and Black Garlic Purée

Crisp-skinned, tender duck breast infused with Chinese five-spice, balanced by an aromatic blood orange and Shaoxing reduction, velvety black garlic purée, and charred Tokyo negi.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the black garlic purée: In a high-speed blender, combine black garlic, white miso, dashi broth, and 15g cold butter. Blend on high until completely silky and emulsified. Pass through a fine chinois, season lightly, and hold warm in a squeeze bottle.

2. 02

   Prepare the reduction: In a small copper saucepan, combine blood orange juice and Shaoxing wine. Reduce over medium heat until syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Add duck stock and reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon (nappe consistency). Whisk in 30g cold butter off heat to emulsify. Season with a pinch of five-spice and reserve warm.

3. 03

   Char the negi: Brush Tokyo negi batons with toasted sesame oil. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat and sear the negi until evenly blistered and tender, about 3-4 minutes. Keep warm.

4. 04

   Cook the duck: Season the duck breasts with fine sea salt and the remaining five-spice powder on the flesh side only. Place skin-side down in a cold stainless-steel pan over low-medium heat. Slowly render the duck fat for 10-12 minutes, spooning away excess fat, until the skin is mahogany and extremely crisp.

5. 05

   Finish and rest: Flip the duck to the flesh side and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes for medium-rare (internal temp 54°C/130°F). Transfer to a warm wire rack and rest for 7 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

6. 06

   Plating: Carve each rested duck breast lengthwise into clean slices. Draw a smooth crescent of black garlic purée across warm plates. Arrange the sliced duck alongside a piece of charred negi. Nappe the meat with the blood orange reduction and finish with Maldon salt and micro shiso leaves.