Jasmine Tea-Smoked Duck Breast...Jasmine Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with Spiced Plum-Sake Reduction

An elegant Michelin-caliber dish featuring tender, tea-infused duck breast with crispy skin, paired with a rich, vibrant plum reduction and charred baby bok choy.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Score the duck breast skin in a tight crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat. Season both sides with five-spice powder and flaky sea salt. Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. 02

   Line a wok or deep cast-iron skillet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Mix the jasmine tea leaves, raw rice, and brown sugar together, and place the mixture in the bottom of the wok. Position a wire rack directly above the mixture.

3. 03

   Place the duck breasts, skin-side up, on the wire rack. Cover tightly with a lid or extra foil. Heat the wok over high heat until wisps of smoke appear, then lower heat to medium, and smoke for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for another 5 minutes. Remove the duck from the smoker.

4. 04

   Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low. Slowly render the fat for 8 to 10 minutes, pouring off excess fat occasionally, until the skin is deeply golden and ultra-crispy. Flip and sear the flesh side for 2 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. 05

   While the duck is rendering, prepare the reduction. In a small saucepan, combine the chopped plums, sake, tamari soy sauce, grated ginger, and star anise. Simmer over medium heat until the plums break down and the liquid is glossy and reduced by half (approx. 10 minutes). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract all juices, then discard the solids.

6. 06

   In a separate hot skillet, add the sesame oil. Place the baby bok choy cut-side down and sear for 2 minutes until lightly charred. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover quickly, and steam for 1 minute until tender-crisp.

7. 07

   Slice the rested duck breast on a bias. Spoon a generous pool of the spiced plum-sake reduction onto the plates, arrange the duck slices elegantly alongside the charred baby bok choy, and garnish with additional sea salt and microgreens if desired.