This dish was created on the back of a challenge with 2 other girls, each picking 2 ingredients and using only these ingredients to create a dish. The 6 items picked were duck leg, porcini, potato, macadamia, seaweed and yuzu (I know, weird right). A number of staple items such as salt, pepper, oil, flour and eggs were allowed too.
There were so many challenges to work through to create a well balanced dish, like how can I create a jus packed with flavours without the usual suspect of onion and stock, how do I create textures and layers with a fairly limiting list of items, and how do I incorporate weird ingredients such as seaweed and yuzu. The recipe below was my solution and the highlight of the dish was actually the porcini and duck jus that I thought I would struggle to deliver on flavour, it turned out to be AMAZING. It was made by browning the duck bones from the duck legs extremely well, simmering on low heat over 3 hours with the soaking liquid from the dried porcini and porcini itself, depth layered in with the addition of kombu dashi and the final touch of acidity from yuzu to lift and cut through the richness of the jus. I'm glad I did this as I learnt that amazing flavours can be created even when you have limited options. Thanks girls, it's been fun!
Difficulty: Medium/Difficult
Time: 3 hrs
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Duck Ballotine
- 2 duck marylands bone removed
- 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
- 60g dried porcini mushroom
- 4 generous slices of butter
- salt
- pepper
Macadamia Crumb
- 1/3 cup macadamia nuts
Macadamia Puree
- 1/3 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/3 cup milk
- salt
Procini Duck Jus
- bones from duck maryland
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup porcini soaking liquid
- 1 tbsp kombu dashi*
- 1 tsp yuzu sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- oil
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
Hasselback Potato
- 4 small potatoes**
- duck fat
- salt
- pepper
* Seaweed stock found in most Asian grocery.
** I've only plated one but they are so yummy you'll want more!
Method
1. Re-hyrdate the porcini by soaking it in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes.
2. Start the duck jus by browning the duck bones in a small saucepan with some oil over high heat until dark brown but not burnt, about 8 minutes. Add hot water and porcini stock to the pot, bring to boil and simmer over the next 2-3 hours until you have approximately 1/2 cup of stock left.
2. For the duck ballotine, roughly chop the macadamia before adding it to the food processor with most of the rehydrated porcini and process into a rough crumb, season with salt and pepper. Flatten the deboned duck maryland skin side down, divide the porcini and macadamia filling between the 2 duck. Roll up the duck maryland into a roll, tie it up with 4 pieces of strings with equal spacing in between.
3. Put the duck ballotine into 2 separate ziplock bags with 2 slices of butter each. Cook it in sous vide bath at 62 degrees for 2 hours.
4. For the macadamia crumb, gently toast some macadamia in a pan over medium heat until golden. Roughly process it in a food processor into crumb. Set aside.
5. For the macadamia puree, gently heat up the macadamia with the milk in a pot on stove top until it's warm through but not boiling. Blend it int a smooth paste in a food processor and season with salt.
6. Prepare the hasselback potato by slicing it into fine slices but not cut through so the potato retains its safe. Generously brush it with melted duck fat and season with salt and pepper. Cook it in a oven set at 200 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked.
7. Take the duck ballotine out of the zip lock bags, dry with kitchen paper towels and season the skin with salt. Add the sous vide liquid to the duck jus. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees on grill setting.
8. Finish the duck jus by passing it through a sieve before returning it to the pot. Add the kombu dashi, yuzu, seaon it to taste with salt, pepper and sugar for a touch of sweetness to balance out the other flavours. Incorporate the butter slowly until melted. Keep warm and set aside.
9. Grill the duck ballotine in oven for 5 minutes until the skin is golden. Cut into pieces.
10. Assemble by placing the duck ballotine on a plate, followed by macadamia crumb and puree, hasselback potato and the porcini duck jus. Enjoy!
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