DUCK PULL APART
Serves 6
This dish was one of the first things that we created for our opening menu, and it’s a lot of fun. It begins with duck legs, cured and braised with Asian seasonings to give us super-tender, rich meat and a broth reminiscent of hot-and-sour soup. Then we make some beautifully cooked sous vide duck breast that is juicy and meaty. We take the skin from the breast and render it until thin and crispy, to create that perfect savory, crackling bite.
Finally we make a wonton cylinder. We fry it in a closed tube so that you get a great crunchy texture. Then we use a syringe and inject the hot braising liquid into the wonton so it bursts with flavorful liquid when you break it, which floods the plate and creates an instant sauce for the meat.
BRAISED DUCK LEGS:
200 grams salt
100 grams sugar
50 grams lemongrass, bulb and tough outer leaves removed, roughly chopped
50 grams ginger, roughly chopped
30 grams shallot, sliced
25 grams garlic, sliced
20 grams jalapeño, sliced
20 grams soy sauce
15 grams yuzu juice
15 grams cilantro, chopped
15 grams green onion, sliced
5 grams fish sauce
6 duck legs
DUCK BREAST AND SKIN:
1 medium (about 12-ounce) duck breast
15 grams canola oil
Salt for seasoning
NUAC MON STOCK:
125 grams sugar
975 grams water, divided
75 grams ginger, sliced
50 grams lemongrass, bulb and tough outer leaves removed, sliced
20 grams shallot, sliced
20 grams jalapeño, sliced
20 grams fresh lime juice
10 grams garlic
3 grams salt
30 grams canola or olive oil
Cured Duck Legs
WONTON CRISP:
Canola oil for frying
6 large wonton wrappers
TO FINISH:
10 grams salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Sous vide circulator
Vacuum sealer
Wooden dowel, approximately 1-inch diameter
Syringe (at least 25cc) and needle
BRAISED DUCK LEGS:
To make the cure, put the salt, sugar, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, garlic, jalapeño, soy sauce, yuzu juice, cilantro, green onion, and fish sauce in a large bowl and mix well to blend. Put the duck legs in a baking dish just large enough to hold them and cover completely with the cure. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
DUCK BREAST AND SKIN:
Lay the duck breast skin side down on a cutting board. Use a boning knife and slide it along the underside of the breast between the skin and the meat to separate them. Wrap the breast meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to finish the dish.
Place a skillet over medium-low heat and add a tablespoon of canola oil. Cook the breast, skin side down, for 15 minutes, until all the fat has been rendered out and the skin is a deep golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Season with salt and use kitchen scissors to cut the crispy skin into 6 pieces.
NUAC MON STOCK:
Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 75 grams of water and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand. Bring to a boil and cook until the simple syrup turns a light amber color. Remove from the heat and carefully add the ginger, shallot, lemongrass, jalapeño, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Set back over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add the remaining 900 grams of water and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and reduce the liquid by one-third, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and reserve. The stock may be used immediately for braising or kept refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Remove the duck legs from the cure and rinse under cold running water. Once all the cure has been removed, pat the legs dry with paper towels and put them on a large plate. Set a large, deep sauté pan, big enough to hold all the legs, over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot and the oil is shimmering, sear the legs, skin side down, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the legs over and add the reserved Nuac Mon Stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bones.
Remove the duck legs from the stock, let cool slightly so that you can handle them easily with your fingers, and pick the meat off the bones. You can put the picked meat back in the pot to reheat, if serving immediately, or put the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Strain the stock and reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator.
WONTON CRISP:
Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot with 4 inches of oil on the stove over medium-high heat and bring it to 325°F.
Lay a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Lay 1 large wonton wrapper on the paper. Place a wooden dowel, approximately 1 inch thick, at one end of the wrapper and brush the area on the opposite side of the dowel with a little water. Roll the wrapper around the wooden dowel and press the ends of the skin together. Once
you have created a cylinder, remove the dowel and wet the inside edges of each end of the cylinder. Press the edges together to seal them shut. Fry for 1 minute, flip over the cylinder, and fry for 1 minute on the opposite side. Repeat with the 5 remaining wonton wrappers. Remove the crisps from the fryer and drain on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Reserve for later use.
TO FINISH:
Preheat a circulating water bath to 125°F.
Season the reserved skinless duck breast with the salt. Place the duck breast in a vacuum bag and seal on the highest setting of your vacuum machine. Cook in the water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from the bath and let the breast meat rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Remove the breast from the bag and slice crosswise across the breast into pieces approximately ¼ inch thick. You need 4 slices per serving.
Put the duck legs and reserved broth in a small pot, set over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just simmering.
Place a spoonful of the Braised Duck Leg in the center of 6 medium ceramic bowls. Place 4 slices of Duck Breast in a fan over the top of the leg meat. Add a piece of rendered skin on top. Fill a syringe with 25cc (ml) of hot Nuac Mon Stock. Pierce a Wonton Crisp in the corner with the syringe and slowly add the stock into the crisp. Place the filled wonton cylinder on the very top across the bowl. At the table, crack the Wonton Crisp with the back of a spoon to release the broth over the meat.
