Duck breast and smoked figs recipe

I love that Loreto, author of Sabores de Colores , surprises me with her creations using the smoker . The reason? We often think that the smoker will be used to smoke salmon and other fish... and we don't go any further. But it is certainly useful for much more, as she has told us and shown us on other occasions. I'm sure you'll agree with me: This duck magret that she presents to us today is a real delicacy!

Getting the family together at home is the perfect excuse to prepare smoked food, and also the perfect excuse to try new recipes. As is the case with the recipe I bring you today, smoked duck magret, a recipe I tried a while ago in a restaurant and I fell completely in love with it, and as you know, I couldn't do any other way than to offer you my version, so that you can prepare it at home as soon as possible.

Since I have had the Nordic Ware smoker at home, I have been reading a lot, researching and looking for different recipes to prepare, and what I have seen, common to all of them, and something that I recommend, is that when we decide to smoke food, the ideal is to look for ingredients with a medium-high fat content, since these will be the ones that best absorb the aromas. That is why magret is always a perfect option, always keeping the skin with all its fat, a real delicacy. I recommend that you prepare it as soon as possible and you will see that you will repeat.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

1 duck breast
6 figs

Mixture to cure the magret:
150 gr coarse salt
150 gr brown sugar
1 tablespoon green anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick
10 black peppercorns

Smoker Mix:
2 tablespoons pecan chips (or whatever chips you choose to give the smoky flavor)
1 teaspoon of green anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick

ELABORATION

1. Place the green anise seeds, black pepper and cinnamon in a mortar, mine is Emile Henry's (fabulous), and crush them lightly.

2. Next, mix the crushed spices with the salt and sugar in a large bowl and on a tray, plate or ceramic mould , spread a third of the mixture and place the magret with the skin facing up, cover with the remaining two thirds, press lightly and leave to cure in the fridge for 2 hours.

3. After two hours, remove the magret from the refrigerator, wash it under the tap, dry it with absorbent paper and place it on the perforated tray of the smoker along with the figs.

4. Next, we place two spoons of wood chips , a teaspoon of green anise and the cinnamon stick that we have broken into pieces in the bottom of the smoker . On the bottom we place the container for the liquids, not because we are going to add any liquid but because the duck will release fat when it heats up, which will fall into this container and will be easier to clean. Finally, we place the tray with the duck magret and the figs and cover. We turn on the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes*, making sure that the smoker does not exceed 100ºC, as you know that you can check this with the thermometer that it has, if it goes over the temperature you can check it by lowering the heat on which the smoker is set.

(Left) Emile Henry 26cm Wavy Ceramic Bowl ; (Right) Nordic Ware Food Smoker

5. After the cooking time, open the smoker and remove the magret to a plate, cover it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.

6. Finally, using a sharp knife , cut the magret into thin slices and serve with the smoked figs.

* The time is approximate, after 15 minutes we can check if the cooking point is what we like, remember that the magret should be pink in the center to be very juicy.

Nordic Ware food smoker and Pallarès carbon steel knife