Citrus Duck Breast with Beets and Roasted Carrots

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the duck: With a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck in a crosshatch pattern, being careful to not cut through to the meat. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Rub the orange zest into the flesh, not the skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. Remove from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking.

2. Make the beet puree: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil and coat generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Tightly seal the beets in the foil and bake for 1 hour, or until easily pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until safe to handle, then remove their skins and roughly chop the beets. Transfer to a blender, along with the orange zest and juice, sugar and balsamic vinegar, and blend until smooth. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan and set aside.

3. Cook the duck: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (170°C). Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, and cook to slowly render the fat for 5 minutes. As the fat accumulates, remove it from the pan by tilting the pan and scooping it out with a spoon. When the skin is browned, transfer the pan to the oven and roast until medium-rare (125°F [52°C] on an instant-read thermometer), 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the breasts over and let them rest in the pan for 10 minutes.

4. While the duck cooks, roast the carrots: Place the baby carrots in a small skillet. Add cold water to the pan to just cover them. Add the thyme, honey and salt, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thin syrup, glazing the carrots.

5. Make the shaved baby beets: While the duck breasts rest, cut off the ends of the baby beets. While holding the top of each beet, slice them paper-thin on a mandoline, working one color at a time, rinsing the mandoline between colors and placing the beet slices by color in their own small dish, so their juices don’t intermingle with the other colors. When all are sliced, drizzle them with the citrus Champagne vinegar and sprinkle with salt.

6. Time to plate like a pro: Trim off the edges of the duck with a knife, then cut into thick slices. Spoon a large dollop of beet puree into the center of each dinner plate. Using the back of the spoon, create a neat disk of puree on the plate. Slice the carrots in half at an angle. Using tweezers, place two of the halves in the center of the plate, creating an X. Now, arrange two pieces of duck on the center of the plate, on top of the carrots. Add additional slices of carrots around the duck, totaling three carrots per plate. Using tweezers, arrange the sliced baby beets around the duck, alternating them by color, then add the micro beet greens. Allow your artistic style to guide you. Remember, less is more when garnishing a dish, and you still want each diner to be able to tell what’s on the plate by not covering things up. Try to create each dish identically. This gets you closer to becoming the home version of a restaurant pro. Serve immediately.

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