Tea-smoked duck, hazelnut and black cabbage

For me, this dish sums up the Black Sea region of Turkey. Ordu prides itself on being the biggest producer of hazelnuts in the world and the biggest producer of tea in Turkey. Add duck and black garlic mayo to the mix and you’ve got the perfect winter entrée.

• serves

  4

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 40 g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup coarsely crumbled cornbread

Black garlic mayonnaise

• 100 g black garlic cloves, peeled (see Note)
• 1 egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 150 ml vegetable oil
• 150 ml olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon

Tea-smoked duck

• 2 duck breasts (about 500 g each)
• 250 g hazelnuts in the shell
• 80 g Turkish tea

Black cabbage and hazelnut salad

• 3 large leaves cavalo nero (black cabbage), stalks removed, leaves roughly torn
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tsp red pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
• ⅓ cup coriander leaves
• ¼ cup basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 60 ml (¼ cup) pomegranate molasses
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

To serve

• baby sorrel leaves

Resting time 10 minutes

Instructions

To make the black garlic mayonnaise, place the black garlic, egg, yolks and mustard in a high powered food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the combined oils, drop by drop at first and then in a slow, steady stream until thick and emulsified. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until required.

To make the tea-smoked duck, place the hazelnuts in a mortar and gently pound with a pestle just enough to remove the nut - try and leave the shells as whole as possible. Reserve the nuts for the salad, then place the shells in a smoking box over high heat for 2-3 minutes or until they become alight. Sprinkle over the tea, then place the smoking box in the base of a small covered barbecue and place a rack on top. Season the duck breasts with sea salt, place on the rack, then cover and smoke for 20 minutes without opening the barbecue lid.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place a drizzle of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, then cook the duck breasts, flesh-side down for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Turn the breasts, then place in the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing each breast into thin slices. 

To make the black cabbage salad, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 8 minutes or until light golden. Place the hot hazelnuts in a clean kitchen cloth and rub off the skins - it doesn’t matter if you can’t get all the skins off. Drop the cabbage leaves into a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 seconds or until just wilted, then drain and refresh in iced water. Pat dry the leaves on paper towel, then place in a large bowl with the shallot, spring onion, pul biber and herbs. Pound the garlic and a good pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until a paste forms. Add the roasted hazelnuts and gently pound until coarsely crushed - you want to keep some texture so don’t pound too finely. Add the pomegranate molasses and olive oil and combine well. Pour the dressing onto the leaves and toss to combine well.

Melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When foamy, add ½ cup coarsely crumbled cornbread into the pan and toss until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel. 

To serve, divide the black cabbage salad among 4 plates. Add the sliced duck, a small spoonful of mayonnaise and scatter with the cornbread croutons. Serve immediately.

Note

• Black garlic is made by slowly heating whole garlic bulbs over several weeks during which time the natural sugars in the garlic caramelise to a deep black. The resulting flavour is a unique balance of sweet garlic with syrupy molasses or balsamic undertones. Available from specialist greengrocers and some major supermarkets.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.