Turmeric Coco Yuca with Duck Confit and Tamarind Glaze
Richly spiced, this duck confit is crisped just before serving. The turmeric coco-yuca blends the mild yuca with browned coconut and ginger, and serves as a Caribbean-flavored base for the dish. The duck is salted and refrigerated for 24 hours before being cooked; the cilantro oil and tamarind paste can both be made ahead of time.
Ingredients
- Cilantro Oil
- Cilantro - 1 bunch
- Grapeseed Oil - 8 ounces (1 cup)
- Tamarind Glaze
- Tamarind paste - 2 teaspoons
- Sugar - 2 teaspoons
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Pinch of salt
- Duck Confit
- Kosher salt
- Duck Legs - 2
- Duck Thighs - 2
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Cinnamon Sticks - 3
- Cinnamon - 1 tablespoon
- Whole Cloves - 6
- Black peppercorns - 12
- Coriander Seeds - 12
- Juniper berries - 12
- Bay Leaves - 3
- Duck Fat - 1 pound
- Thyme - 1/2 bunch, fresh, stemmed and crushed
- Carrot - 1/2, minced
- Onion - 1/2, medium, minced
- Celery - 1/2 stalk, minced
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Turmeric Coco-Yuca
- Yuca - 2 cups, peeled and diced
- Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
- Pinch of salt
- Butter - 2 teaspoons
- Shallots - 2 teaspoons, chopped
- Coconut - 1/2 cup, grated
- Ginger Root - 1/2 teaspoon, chopped
- Jalapeno Peppers - 1/2, seeded and deribbed
Instructions
To prepare the cilantro oil: Blanch the cilantro by plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunging into ice water to cool. Dry with paper towels. Puree with the grapeseed oil. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and store in a covered glass jar.
To prepare the tamarind glaze: Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan and reduce over medium heat until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. Store in a covered glass jar; if refrigerated, rewarm before using.
To prepare the confit: Using about 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of duck, thoroughly coat the duck leg and thigh with salt and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Rinse off the salt and pat the duck dry with paper towels. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and sear the duck legs and thighs on both sides to brown. Add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, juniper berries, and bay leaves to the pan and reduce heat to medium; cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 225 F. In a dutch oven, melt the duck fat over medium heat. Add the thyme, carrot, onion, celery, and garlic. Stir in the duck and spices from the skillet; the fat should just cover the duck pieces. Cover and bake for 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bones. Take out of the oven, remove the duck skin, and trim off the fat. Pull the meat off the bones and shred.
To prepare the coco-yuca: Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the yuca, half of the turmeric and a pinch of salt and boil until fork-tender. Drain and set aside. In a small saute pan or skillet, melt the butter and saute the shallot, coconut, ginger, and pepper until the coconut is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the yuca and remaining turmeric. Saute 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
To serve: Preheat the broiler to high. Spread the duck on a baking sheet and lightly crisp under the broiler. Divide the coco-yuca among the plates. Top with the duck confit. Garnish with cilantro oil and tamarind glaze.
