Cocoa & Porcini Crusted Duck Breast

Yield: 4 portions

Duck Breast

Ingredients:

2 Duck Breasts
1 Tbsp Dried Porcini Mushrooms – ground
1 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Paprika
½ tsp Aleppo Pepper
2 tsp Salt
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Mole (recipe to follow)
1 bunch Baby Turnips peeled & halved
1 Honey Nut Squash
½ cup Golden Raisins
½ cup White Wine
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Thyme sprig

Method:

• Peel & seed the squash. Cut in to large batons (large French fries) toss will 2 tbs of olive oil, & salt. Place the
  squash in an even layer and bake in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the pieces are golden and fully
  cooked
• Score the fat of the breasts in an x pattern, being careful not to cut into the flesh
• Combine the cocoa powder, porcini, paprika, Aleppo pepper and ½ tsp of salt. Season the flesh of the duck
  breast liberally, trying not to get any on the fat side.
• In a saute pan, place the olive oil and bring the pan until the oil just starts to shimmer.
• Place the duck skin side down and turn the heat to medium. Slowly render the fat on the breasts. This will take
  8-10 minutes.
• Flip the breasts on to their flesh and cook for 2-3 minutes until the internal temperature is 140 degrees.
• Remove the duck from the pan, save 2 tbs of the fat, and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
• In the pan that you cooked the ducks, place the turnips with the duck fat. Turn the heat to medium high and
  sear the turnips for 4 minutes until they are golden brown, Flip the turnips and season with the paprika
  mixture. Turn off the heat
• In a small pot cover the raisins with the wine, add the cinnamon stick and thyme, bring to a simmer and remove
  from the heat. Set this aside
• To plate, place the warm mole on the plate, shingle the squash and turnips. Slice the breast into 8 slices and place 4 slices per plate

Mole Coloradito

Yield: 1 qt

Ingredients:

4 Chiles anchos
3 Chiles guajillos
2 oz Vegetable oil
1 qt Chicken stock, as needed to purée
6 Black peppercorns
½ tsp Mexican cinnamon
1 Whole cloves
4 Garlic cloves
3 Roma tomatoes
1 oz Baguette or similar, sliced in quarters
1 oz Almonds, blanched
¼ cup Sesame seeds
1 tsp Mexican oregano
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Sugar

Method:

• Toast the chiles on both sides. Remove the stems and seeds from the toasted chiles and place them in a medium
  bowl, and cover with 1½ cup hot tap water. Soak the chiles for 20 minutes. Discard the soaking water. Purée
  the chiles in a blender, using fresh water, about 1 cup.
• In a sauté pan, toast the peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. Cool them, then purée the spices very fine in a
  blender with 1 cup of the reserved stock.
• In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, pan-roast the tomatoes whole with the unpeeled garlic cloves with no oil,
  about 10 minutes. Peel the garlic. Purée the tomatoes and garlic mixture in a blender with a little stock.
• In a medium frying pan, heat 1 ounce of the vegetable oil over medium heat and fry the sliced bread and almonds
  until light brown. Remove from the pan. Wipe out the frying pan and put over low heat. Add 1 teaspoon of
  oil and the sesame seeds and fry until light brown, stirring constantly. Place all in a blender with 1 cup of the
  chicken stock and the oregano and marjoram and purée very fine until smooth.
• To finish the sauce: In a large rondeau, heat 2 ounces of vegetable oil over high heat until smoking. Add the chile purée, stirring constantly. Lower heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add the remainder of the puréed ingredients. Bring it to a simmer and add 1 quart of the chicken stock to thin
  the sauce. Add the sugar and season to taste with salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and slowly cook for 30
  minutes. Check seasonings. Purée with a hand-held blender at this point if necessary

Enjoy!

Wines that pair well: 
Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 2022
Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak Napa Valley 2022