Confit Duck Stir-Fry

How to make with Chef Heston Blumenthal from In Search of Perfection TV show.

Heston’s duck Confit is coated in a rich aromatic sauce and served with shiitake mushrooms. Serves 4. Preparation time 30 minutes. Cooking time 30 minutes.

Ingredients

For the mushrooms and aromatics
140g/5oz shiitake mushrooms (sliced 2cm/0.8in thick)
15g/½ ginger, finely sliced
50g/1¾oz spring onion (finely sliced)
25g/1oz minced shallot
5g/¼oz minced garlic
2g seeded and sliced Szechuan chillies (about 6)
2 Szechuan peppercorns (crushed)
1 small fresh red chilli (thinly sliced)

For the glaze
65g/2¼oz white port
50g/1 ¾oz Shaoxing wine or fino sherry
500g/17½ oz reserved cooking broth (from the crown poaching liquid used in Heston’s Peking duck recipe) or alternatively duck stock
3.5g thinly sliced ginger
2g crushed star anise
sherry vinegar, to taste

For serving the duck confit
grapeseed oil or groundnut oil
reserved mushrooms and aromatics reserved glaze
4 pieces duck confit, preferably legs (meat shredded)
soy sauce
sesame oil
1 head of iceberg lettuce (separated into individual leaves)

Directions

1. For the mushrooms and aromatics, prepare all the ingredients as listed and set aside.

2. For the glaze, pour the port and wine into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Set the alcohol alight and let the flame burn out while simmering.

3. Add the broth (or stock) and reduce the liquid to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

4. Remove from the heat and add the ginger and star anise for a few minutes, then strain the stock through a fine sieve. Adjust the acidity with the sherry vinegar. Set aside.

5. For the duck confit, heat a wok or a large sauté pan until very hot.

6. Add a small amount of grapeseed oil, the reserved peppercorns and chillies, and swirl to coat the pan lightly. Add the reserved mushrooms, ginger, spring onion, shallot and garlic, and quickly stir fry to keep them from burning.

7. When the mushrooms have started to wilt and the pan smells very fragrant, deglaze the pan with about three-quarters of the glaze. Add the shredded duck confit.

8. Bring the pan to a simmer to warm the meat through. Add more glaze if necessary: it should just coat the meat and vegetables.

9. When everything is hot, remove the pan from the heat and add the soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. It’s important not to add the sesame oil until the very last moment or the nutty aroma will be lost.

10. Serve with the iceberg lettuce – the stir-fry can be wrapped up in lettuce to serve.