Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Roasted Duck with Polenta
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
40 minutes (plus drying)
45 minutes
About 2 hours 25 minutes (including air-drying)
Serves:
4 servings (first-course portions)
Shuai created this dish for Top Chef ™ 22. His ode to Chinatown barbecue sets five-spice roast duck over deliberately plain creamy polenta, finished with an aromatic broth and a fragrant scallion-ginger oil. The judges called the duck beautifully cooked and singled out the restrained polenta and the...
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Ingredients
FOR THE FIVE-SPICE ROAST DUCK:
Duck breasts, skin on — 4 (6 oz / 170 g each), skin scored in a crosshatch
Chinese five-spice powder — 2 tsp
Kosher salt — 1½ tsp (7 g)
Granulated sugar — 1 tsp (4 g)
Shaoxing wine — 1 tbsp (15 ml), or dry sherry
Light soy sauce — 1 tbsp (15 ml)
Maltose or honey — 2 tbsp (40 g)
Rice vinegar — 1 tsp (5 ml)
FOR THE AROMATIC BROTH:
Duck or chicken stock — 3 cups (700 ml), unsalted or low-sodium
Fresh ginger — 4 slices, smashed
Scallions (spring onions) — 2, white parts, smashed
Star anise — 1 whole
Light soy sauce— 2 tsp (10 ml)
Shaoxing wine — 1 tbsp (15 ml)
FOR THE INFUSED OIL & GARNISH:
Neutral oil — ¼ cup (60 ml), such as grapeseed
Scallions, finely sliced — 3 (greens, for the oil and garnish)
Fresh ginger, julienned — 1 tbsp (8 g)
Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp (5 ml)
Cilantro or microgreens — to garnish (optional)
FOR THE CREAMY POLENTA (KEPT DELIBERATELY SIMPLE):
Water — 4 cups (950 ml), plus extra to loosen
Kosher salt — 1 tsp (5 g)
Polenta (coarse cornmeal) — 1 cup (170 g), not instant
Unsalted butter — 1 tbsp (14 g)
White pepper — ¼ tsp (1 g), freshly ground if possible
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Heavy ovenproof skillet or cast-iron pan
Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Small saucepan
Small pan or heatproof bowl
Method
STEP 1: CURE AND AIR-DRY THE DUCK
Pat the duck breasts very dry. Score the skin in a fine crosshatch, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Mix the Chinese five-spice powder, salt and sugar, then rub it over both sides, working it into the scored skin. Whisk the Shaoxing wine and light soy sauce and brush a thin coat over the flesh side. Set the breasts skin-side up on a wire rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour (longer is better). Drying the skin is what gives Chinatown-style duck its lacquered, crisp finish.
STEP 2: MAKE THE AROMATIC BROTH
Combine the stock, smashed ginger, scallion whites and star anise in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 15–20 minutes to infuse, then season with the light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Strain, discard the aromatics, and keep warm. The broth should taste clean and savoury — it is there to lift the plate, not to sauce it.
STEP 3: MAKE THE INFUSED OIL
Warm the neutral oil in a small pan until it shimmers. Take it off the heat, add half the sliced scallions and the julienned ginger, and let them sizzle and steep for 5 minutes. Stir in the toasted sesame oil. This fragrant oil — floated over the broth at service — is half of what the judges praised, so do not skip it.
STEP 4: COOK THE POLENTA
Bring the water to a boil with the salt. Whisking constantly, rain in the polenta in a steady stream to prevent lumps. Reduce to low and cook, stirring often, for 30–40 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stir in the butter and white pepper. Keep it deliberately simple — cooked in water with only a little butter, salt and white pepper — so it carries the rich duck rather than competing with it. If it tightens up, loosen with a splash more hot water; it should stay soft and spoonable, never stiff.
STEP 5: RENDER AND ROAST THE DUCK
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the breasts skin-side down in a cold ovenproof skillet, then set over medium heat. Let the fat render slowly for 6–8 minutes, pouring off excess fat, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Flip, sear the flesh side for 1 minute, then transfer the pan to the oven for 5–6 minutes for medium (about 135°F / 57°C internal). The slow cold-pan render is what keeps the duck evenly cooked and the skin crackling.
STEP 6: GLAZE THE DUCK
While the duck roasts, warm the maltose (or honey) with the rice vinegar and a splash of water until loose and glossy. When the duck comes out, rest it skin-side up for 5 minutes, then brush the warm glaze over the crisp skin for a Chinatown-barbecue sheen. Slice each breast on the bias.
STEP 7: PLATE
Spoon the creamy polenta into the base of warm shallow bowls. Fan the sliced duck over the top. Pour a little warm aromatic broth around the polenta, then float a spoonful of the scallion-ginger oil over the broth. Scatter the reserved sliced scallions and a few cilantro leaves or microgreens. Serve at once, while the skin is crisp and the broth is hot.
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Instructions
FOR THE FIVE-SPICE ROAST DUCK:
Duck breasts, skin on — 4 (6 oz / 170 g each), skin scored in a crosshatch
Chinese five-spice powder — 2 tsp
Kosher salt — 1½ tsp (7 g)
Granulated sugar — 1 tsp (4 g)
Shaoxing wine — 1 tbsp (15 ml), or dry sherry
Light soy sauce — 1 tbsp (15 ml)
Maltose or honey — 2 tbsp (40 g)
Rice vinegar — 1 tsp (5 ml)
FOR THE AROMATIC BROTH:
Duck or chicken stock — 3 cups (700 ml), unsalted or low-sodium
Fresh ginger — 4 slices, smashed
Scallions (spring onions) — 2, white parts, smashed
Star anise — 1 whole
Light soy sauce — 2 tsp (10 ml)
Shaoxing wine — 1 tbsp (15 ml)
FOR THE INFUSED OIL & GARNISH:
Neutral oil — ¼ cup (60 ml), such as grapeseed
Scallions, finely sliced — 3 (greens, for the oil and garnish)
Fresh ginger, julienned — 1 tbsp (8 g)
Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp (5 ml)
Cilantro or microgreens — to garnish (optional)
FOR THE CREAMY POLENTA (KEPT DELIBERATELY SIMPLE):
Water — 4 cups (950 ml), plus extra to loosen
Kosher salt — 1 tsp (5 g)
Polenta (coarse cornmeal) — 1 cup (170 g), not instant
Unsalted butter — 1 tbsp (14 g)
White pepper — ¼ tsp (1 g), freshly ground if possible
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Heavy ovenproof skillet or cast-iron pan
Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Small saucepan
Small pan or heatproof bowl
Fine-mesh sieve
Sharp knife
Instant-read thermometer
Wire rack and tray
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: CURE AND AIR-DRY THE DUCK
Pat the duck breasts very dry. Score the skin in a fine crosshatch, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Mix the Chinese five-spice powder, salt and sugar, then rub it over both sides, working it into the scored skin. Whisk the Shaoxing wine and light soy sauce and brush a thin coat over the flesh side. Set the breasts skin-side up on a wire rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour (longer is better). Drying the skin is what gives Chinatown-style duck its lacquered, crisp finish.
STEP 2: MAKE THE AROMATIC BROTH
Combine the stock, smashed ginger, scallion whites and star anise in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 15–20 minutes to infuse, then season with the light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Strain, discard the aromatics, and keep warm. The broth should taste clean and savoury — it is there to lift the plate, not to sauce it.
STEP 3: MAKE THE INFUSED OIL
Warm the neutral oil in a small pan until it shimmers. Take it off the heat, add half the sliced scallions and the julienned ginger, and let them sizzle and steep for 5 minutes. Stir in the toasted sesame oil. This fragrant oil — floated over the broth at service — is half of what the judges praised, so do not skip it.
STEP 4: COOK THE POLENTA
Bring the water to a boil with the salt. Whisking constantly, rain in the polenta in a steady stream to prevent lumps. Reduce to low and cook, stirring often, for 30–40 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stir in the butter and white pepper. Keep it deliberately simple — cooked in water with only a little butter, salt and white pepper — so it carries the rich duck rather than competing with it. If it tightens up, loosen with a splash more hot water; it should stay soft and spoonable, never stiff.
STEP 5: RENDER AND ROAST THE DUCK
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the breasts skin-side down in a cold ovenproof skillet, then set over medium heat. Let the fat render slowly for 6–8 minutes, pouring off excess fat, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Flip, sear the flesh side for 1 minute, then transfer the pan to the oven for 5–6 minutes for medium (about 135°F / 57°C internal). The slow cold-pan render is what keeps the duck evenly cooked and the skin crackling.
STEP 6: GLAZE THE DUCK
While the duck roasts, warm the maltose (or honey) with the rice vinegar and a splash of water until loose and glossy. When the duck comes out, rest it skin-side up for 5 minutes, then brush the warm glaze over the crisp skin for a Chinatown-barbecue sheen. Slice each breast on the bias.
STEP 7: PLATE
Spoon the creamy polenta into the base of warm shallow bowls. Fan the sliced duck over the top. Pour a little warm aromatic broth around the polenta, then float a spoonful of the scallion-ginger oil over the broth. Scatter the reserved sliced scallions and a few cilantro leaves or microgreens. Serve at once, while the skin is crisp and the broth is hot.
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