Organic Chai Smoked Sonoma Duck Breast with Organic Green Tea
POSTED: 6:22 am MDT June 1,
2008
UPDATED: 6:29 am MDT June 1,
2008
Tazo-infused recipe by Executive Chef Christian “Goose” Sorensen: Organic Chai Smoked Sonoma Duck Breast with Organic Green Tea Poached Soba Noodles and Roasted Asian Mushrooms (Serves 4) To Make the Brine: Ingredients 4 each medium duck breast, trimmed of sinew and scored 2 quarts of boiling water 4 each Tazo® Organic Chai filterbags 2 cups pomegranate juice 2 tbsp. honey . cup sugar . cup kosher salt . tea peppercorns 1 toe ginger Cooking Preparation and Directions 1. Place the Tazo® Organic Chai filterbags in the boiling water and let them steep for five minutes. 2. Add the rest of the brine ingredients and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Cool the mixture in a separate container in the refrigerator. 3. Once the mixture is cool, place the duck breasts in the brine and let it set for 3 hours. 4. Take the breasts out of the brine, and pat them dry before putting them in the smoker. (You can pre-smoke the duck and cook to temperature later. If you do not have a smoker, a bottom pan, a perforated pan to place the duck in, and a lid will do. Smoke at a high smoke level for no more than a minute. If you’re not using a smoker or don’t feel confidant, skip the smoking step.) 5. Set the breast set aside after smoking. To Make the Duck Ingredients 4 each medium duck breast, smoked (see recipe above) 1 package of buckwheat Soba noodles 4 filterbags of Tazo® Organic Green Tea 3 cups mushrooms (a variety of shiitake, cinnamon cap, enoki, portabella, oyster), cleaned and cut into bite size pieces 2 thumbs fresh ginger, grated 2 bunches scallions, chopped . head green cabbage, julienned 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 red pepper, julienned 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (or mild pepper) 1 bunch cilantro, chopped . cup soy sauce vegetable oil, as needed salt, as needed
Cooking Preparation and Directions 1. To cook the soba noodles, follow the directions for the amount of water to use on the package. 2. Steep the Tazo® Organic Green Tea in the water for 5 minutes, and then take the filterbags out. 3. Put a pinch of salt in the water and cook the noodles in the tea. Strain and cool, and toss with a small amount of vegetable oil. 4. The plating of the dish is quick, so be sure to have all ingredients chopped and ready to go. Set the oven to 400ºF. 5. Bring a medium sauté pan to high heat. Add a little oil and then add the mushrooms, a little of the garlic and the ginger. 6. Add enough soy sauce to “deglaze” the pan and keep tossing the mushrooms. Once cooked, set aside on a paper towel. 7. Place a large sauté pan on the stove, and put the duck in the pan, fat side down, and turn the burner on high. Once the duck starts to sizzle, place the pan in the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until medium rare. 8. In another large sauté pan, bring some vegetable oil to medium heat and add rest of the garlic and ginger. 9. Add the uncooked vegetables and sauté them until they start to breakdown. Once the vegetables are slightly cooked, add the remainder of the soy sauce and toss in the soba noodles, cilantro, and the mushrooms. To plate: Place the soba noodles and vegetable sauté in the middle of the plate. Slice the duck on the bias across the breast and place on top of the soba noodle salad and salt the breast. Garnish the dish with a sprig of cilantro and serve.













