SMOKED EARL GREY TEA DUCK MACARON

Methods and Directions

• Grind coriander seeds, peppercorn and cloves in an electric spice grinder, stir together with the salt, sugar, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl.
• Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife.
• Bury the duck breast in the marinade mixture and chill for 30 minutes.
• Rinse the duck breast lightly and pat dry well.
• Sprinkle Earl Grey tea leaves on the breast.
• Smoke the duck with the smoking gun in the seal bag for 30 minutes and continue for another 30 minutes (smoke with Earl Grey Tea Leaves.)
• Preheat oven 200C.
• Heat up frying pan with cooking oil. Over a medium heat, seal the skin side of the duck breast for 8 – 10 minutes.
• Pour away the excess fat and then add butter.
• Place the duck breast on the tray; in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes till the duck is medium rare.
• Remove from the oven; rest it for 10 minutes before cutting the breast to 5mm thick slices.

• Cut the chillies and spring onion into julienne.
• Soak in the ice water for 20 minutes.

• Blend the tea mixture and sodium alginate with stick blender, set aside and cool in the fridge for 5 hours.
• Blend calcium lactate and water together and cool in the fridge for 5 hours.

• Cook cranberry and orange juice over low-heat till thick.
• Cook between 8-10 minutes.
• Put in blender together till smooth and set aside.

• Mix almond meal and icing sugar together.
• Mix it in a mixer and pass it through a sieve.
• Add 1st egg white. Mix it to form a paste. Make sure all icing sugar and almond meal is mixed well.
• Boil water and sugar in the saucepan to 118C.
• Put 2nd egg white in a mixer with the egg white powder, start whisking the mixture when the syrup is at 115C to obtain the best texture of Italian meringue.
• Keep whisking the meringue until it turns warm.
• Add the meringue in 5 times with the paste.
• To add the meringue in at several times and mixing it well into the preparation is very important for the best final result.
• Once all the meringue is added, then start the MACARONER technique.