Tuck into duck

Duck meets interesting buddies at the table and ends up as the wholesome meal.

GASTRONOMIC DELIGHT: Lightly smoked duck at Smoke House Grill in New Delhi Photos: V.V. Krishnan

Duck is a star anyway. Here it ends up getting a lot more attention. The whole duck breast is seared and then baked.

The mild flavour of the smoked duck along with Cointreau emulsion and curry powder brings alive a spectrum of textures. Piled on top of mashed potatoes, the duck ends up being a wholesome meal.

Lightly smoked duck

Ingredients

1 duck breast

4 gms salt

3 gms rosemary

1 blood orange

10 ml Cointreau

4 gms Madras curry powder

10 gms ghee

10 gms butter

2 gms hazelnuts

80 gms mashed potatoes

50 gm pokchoy

Method

Make gashes on the duck and season it with some herbed oil and salt. Place the duck breast in a heavy pan and sear it slowly, allowing the fat to melt. Once the skin is a nice golden brown, sear the other side. Then place the duck breast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

On another pan, heat the ghee and sauté some onions till golden brown. Add in the curry powder followed by the orange segments. Deglaze the pan with some white wine. Reduce this mix and finish with the Cointreau and butter. Use the duck fat from the skillet, heat it and add the hazelnut followed by mashed potatoes. Place the mash on a plate and top it with some sautéed pokchoy. Take the duck out of the oven, slice and place around the mash and finish with the sauce. Garnish with some assorted chiffonade and serve hot.

Mayank Tiwari is the first chef to come from the family. With an army man father and architect brother, the senior sous chef at Smoke House Grill almost followed his mother’s path lured by chemistry. But food and cooking finally won him over.