Pan-Seared Duck Breast with...Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Mole Negro & Vanilla-Plantain Purée

An exquisite interpretation of classic Mexican Mole Negro, featuring perfectly rendered duck breast paired with a velvet vanilla-scented plantain purée and pickled radish escabeche.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Toast the dried chilies, almonds, pepitas, and spices in a dry skillet until fragrant. Lightly char the corn tortilla until dark brown.

2. 02

   Rehydrate the toasted chilies in hot chicken stock for 15 minutes. Transfer chilies, stock, nuts, charred tortilla, and Mexican dark chocolate to a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth.

3. 03

   Pass the mole sauce through a fine-mesh tamis sieve into a saucepan. Simmer gently over low heat for 25 minutes until glossy and thickened. Season with sea salt.

4. 04

   For the plantain purée, roast peeled plantains at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes until caramelized. Puree with brown butter, scraped vanilla bean seeds, warm heavy cream, and a pinch of salt until silky.

5. 05

   Score the duck breast skin in a crosshatch pattern. Place skin-side down in a cold stainless steel pan over low heat to slowly render fat until the skin is deep golden and ultra-crisp (approx. 10-12 mins).

6. 06

   Flip the duck breasts and cook flesh-side down for 2-3 minutes until medium-rare (54°C / 130°F internal temperature). Rest on a wire rack for 8 minutes before fan-slicing.

7. 07

   To assemble, spoon a puddle of glossy Mole Negro onto warm plates. Add a smooth quenelle or swoosh of vanilla-plantain purée. Fan sliced duck breast over the mole, garnish with pickled radish and toasted sesame seeds.