Duck Carnitas Torta

Photo: Maple Leaf Farms

From: Chef Jack Replogle, Haute Taco, Brookfield, WI. Yield: 1 torta.

7 lb. fully cooked pulled duck leg meat, defrosted

Duck Adobo:
24 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves
1 whole white onion, rough-chopped into small dice
2 tomatillos
4 cups orange juice
½ bunch cilantro

Black Beans:
1 lb. black beans
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
3 epazote stalks
1 jalapeno
as needed, salt

Roasted Corn Salsa:
6 ears corn
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, roasted and diced
1 Tbsp. torn mint
to taste, lime juice
to taste, olive oil

Duck Torta:
as needed, pulled duck leg meat
as needed, adobo
as needed, black beans, warm
as needed, corn salsa
as needed, crema fresca
as needed, queso fresco, crumbled
as needed, clarified butter
as needed, ciabatta bread

For duck adobo: Reconstitute chiles in warm water until soft. Add chiles, garlic, onion, tomatillos and orange juice to blender; puree until smooth. In a pan coated with oil, add puree. Bring to a simmer and reduce until mixture just begins to coat the back of a spoon. Add cilantro and allow to steep. Strain adobo through chinois.

For black beans: Put beans, onion, garlic and water (to cover by 2 inches) in saucepan. Cook beans at simmer for an hour, then season with salt. Cut slit in jalapeno and add to beans, along with epazote. Continue to cook until tender, always keeping enough water in saucepan to cover beans.

For roasted corn salsa: Shuck corn and roast on grill or flat top until caramelized and cooked. Allow corn to cool and shuck kernels off. Add onion and pepper to corn; mix thoroughly. Add lime juice and olive oil to desired taste. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble duck torta: Preheat panini machine. Preheat nonstick pan, and heat pulled duck leg meat. Once duck is warm, add enough adobo to coat duck without being runny. Taste and add salt as desired. Set aside.

Slice ciabatta bread lengthwise and brush bottom of bread with butter. Begin to make torta. On bottom, put a layer of black beans and follow with a layer of duck, a generous sprinkle of corn salsa, a drizzle of crema fresca, a generous crumble of queso fresco and the bun top. Brush top of bread with clarified butter. Put in panini machine and press until golden. Serve with plantain chips.