Duck Carnitas Empanada with Foi Gras and Orange-Habanero Glaze
This is one of my signature dishes at The Mission. In fact, if you wanted to characterize Matt Carter in a plate of food, this is it. It incorporates my French background with the foie gras and is a nod to the traditional French flavor combination of duck and orange but with a Latin twist with the addition of habanero, and of course, being in the form of an empanada. You can take a short cut and buy a duck leg confit on dartagnan.com but for the adventurous, the full recipe is below.
Serves 4
Duck confit
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 to 3 fresh bay leaves, torn in half
2 to 3 sprigs thyme, leaves roughly chopped
6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed
4 duck legs
4 cups duck fat
Duck Confit Method
Preheat oven to 180ºF. Put nutmeg, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, coriander, chipotle, black pepper on a small baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes in the oven. Transfer to a pestle and mortar, and grind to a powder.
Rub duck legs with salt, then rub them in the ground spices. Put in a bowl, then add bay leaves, thyme, and garlic. Cover with plastic, refrigerate, and cure for 12 to 24 hours. Rinse legs, pat dry.
Preheat oven to 180ºF. Place legs in an ovenproof dish, then pour in enough duck fat to cover. Put in the 180ºF oven and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until meat falls of the bone. Remove meat from the bone, shred, and reserve. Leftover duck fat can be reserved and used to roast potatoes or fish or added to mayonnaise.
Seared mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 lbs cremini mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt, to taste
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped thyme leaves
Grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Seared Mushrooms Method
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat, until it just starts to smoke. Add mushrooms and season with salt. Stir, then allow to sear for 5 minutes, untouched, until caramelized and water begins to leach from mushrooms. (Caramelization won’t occur if too much liquid is in the pan.) Cook for another 5 minutes until liquid has reduced to nearly dry and stir again. Repeat if necessary, until mushrooms are golden brown.
Add garlic, thyme, and orange zest and sauté. Pour in orange juice and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until nearly dry. Season with salt to taste. Cool and reserve.
Orange-habanero glaze
2 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 sprigs thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 habanero pepper, seeded and crushed
¾ c. piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar) or brown sugar, not packed
Kosher salt, to taste
Orange-habanero glaze method
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, toast cumin and coriander and toast for 3 minutes, until aromatic and lightly browned. Add orange juice, vinegar, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
Add garlic and habenero and cook for another 45 minutes, until liquid has reduced by half. Stir in sugar and mix until incorporated. (Do not allow it to stick to the bottom of the pan.) Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt. Strain contents through a fine-mesh strainer and discard aromatics.
Foie gras sauce
2 Tbsp cubed foie gras
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp thyme leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
Foie gras sauce method
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and sear each side for up to a minute until dark brown, but not burnt. Pour in stock and cook for another 2 minutes, until reduced by half. Add cream, thyme, and a pinch of salt and cook for another 3 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt to taste.
Empanada Assembly
8 oz Duck Confit
1 cup Oaxaca cheese, shredded
8 oz Seared Mushrooms
2 tsp thyme leaves
3 tsp Mexican oregano
24 oz corn masa, room temperature (see note)
In a bowl, combine duck, cheese, mushrooms, thyme, and oregano. Divide into four portions.
Empanada Assembly Method
Using a scale, measure 6 ounces of masa and roll it into a tight, even ball and set aside. Repeat with remaining masa so you have four even balls. Prevent masa from drying out by covering with plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel.
Open the tortilla press and place a masa ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and press to a 1/4-inch thickness. (The plastic prevents the masa from sticking to the tortilla press.) Turn the masa once or twice to ensure an even press.
Remove the top piece of plastic. Using your hands, form 6 ounces of duck mixture into a football shape and place in the middle of the masa. Gently pick up the masa with the bottom sheet of plastic and fold both sides of masa together, starting at the bottom and slowly working your way to the top, pinching to seal. Carefully peel back one side of the plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, trim excess masa on the folded sides to make even, and pinch edges again to ensure a good seal. Cover with plastic wrap, then repeat with the remaining empanadas.
Finish and Plate up
2 quarts vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Cilantro, for garnish
Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep saucepan to a temperature of 350ºF. Carefully lower empanadas into the oil and deep-fry for 5 minutes until golden brown. Cut each large empanada into 3 to 4 slices. Arrange on a plate cut-side up. Drizzle with orange-habanero glaze and foie gras sauces. Garnish with cilantro.
NOTE: Masa is a corn dough that is used in everything from tamals to tortillas, though there are different types. Look for bags of fresh masa for tortillas (labeled “masa para tortillas”) for this recipe. This can be purchased at Mexican grocers such as Los Altos Ranch Market and Food City.