Recipe: Duo of Duck with Mushroom Fricassée & Smoked Pea Purée

Put some spring in your step with this recipe from ICE Director of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Affair’s Hervé Malivert.
Abbe Lewis
duck-recipe-herve-malivert

We’re officially in spring, and our recipes are singing songs of fiddlehead ferns, asparagus, artichokes and fresh peas. When asked what he’s turning to this season, ICE Director of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Affairs, Hervé Malivert, looks to his duo of duck, a composed dish including both duck leg and breast, delicately sautéed mushrooms, smoked pea purée and confit quail egg yolk. 

It's the reason for the season — here's how to make it at home.

Recipe
Duo of Duck with Mushroom Fricassée, Smoked Pea Purée & Confit Quail Egg Yolk

Yield: 4 portions

 

duck-recipe-herve-malivert

For the Duck: 

  • 1 whole Peking duck, quartered, legs deboned keeping skin intact and bones reserved
  • 150 grams kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 2 grams ground black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
  • 4 sprigs thyme

For the Mushroom Fricassée:

  • 1 pound maitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 100 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 10 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

For the Pea Purée: 

  • 500 grams peas, shelled
  • 130 grams shallots, peeled and sliced
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 30 milliliters rice vinegar
  • 200 milliliters chicken stock

For the Pearl Onion: 

  • 6 pearl onions, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
  • 25 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 50 milliliters white wine
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For Assembly: 

  • 4 quail eggs
  • Roasted corn 
  • Microgreens

For the Duck:

  1. Mix together the salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme and garlic. Pack the duck legs in the salt mixture, covering them completely, and refrigerate to cure for 6 hours.
  2. Remove the legs from the salt mixture, rinse under cold water to remove the salt, and pat dry the leg with a paper towel.
  3. Place the leg in the bag with 100 grams of duck fat and vacuum-seal. 
  4. Cook the duck leg at 68°C (155°F) for 15 hours. 
  5. Let the duck leg sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl on ice to completely chill. (This makes it easier to portion.)
  6. Remove the duck from the bag and portion out into four square pieces.
  7. Preheat a cast iron pan and sear the duck leg on the skin slowly, rendering the fat, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate skin-side up.
  8. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper, and sauté it skin-side down over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the skin is nicely browned, degreasing often.
  9. Increase the heat to medium-high, turn the breast over, and sear the flesh side for 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the breast from the pan and set aside to rest.

For the Onion:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ËšF. 
  2. Toss the onions with garlic, thyme, white wine, salt and pepper. 
  3. Place in aluminum foil and bake in a water bath for an hour or until onion is cooked through. 
  4. Heat oil in a cast iron pan to medium-high. Char onions cut-side down. Reserve.

For the Smoked Pea Purée:

  1. Steam or cook the peas a l’anglaise.
  2. Sweat shallots in oil until slightly golden brown. Deglaze with the rice vinegar and chicken stock and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Strain the stock and add the peas and shallot mixture to a Vita-Prep®. While blending on high speed, gradually add the strained stock until desired consistency. Season to taste.

For the Mushroom Fricassée:

  1. Preheat convection oven to 350ËšF.
  2. Combine the mushrooms with oil and pepper in a bowl (no salt).
  3. Lay the thyme and garlic out on a roasting pan. Layer mushrooms over on top and roast until slightly crisp but not dry. 
  4. Remove from the roasting pan without the thyme and garlic; taste for seasoning.

For the Garnish:

  1. Cook the whole quail egg using an immersion circulator at 66°C for 30 minutes. 
  2. Remove the shell and save the egg yolks. 
  3. Keep the egg yolks in warm extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and cayenne. 
  4. Place two quenelles of smoked pea purée on a plate. Add duo of duck breast and leg, roasted corn kernels, pearl onions, mushrooms, egg yolk and microgreens. Serve immediately.
     
Abbe Lewis

Abbe Lewis is a writer, editor, Emmy nominee and extreme nacho enthusiast with over a decade of experience in food and beverage media. Always on the move, Abbe can be found running long distances on the weekends to new restaurants or her favorite hangouts.