Duck Breast with Asparagus and Beer Pancake

Translated by ChatGPT.

On the third weekend of June, the Gault&Millau POP Battle took place in Pilsen as part of the FRESH festival. In a thrilling culinary duel, two outstanding Pilsen establishments competed, both tasked with incorporating Pilsner Urquell beer into their menu. The winner was the restaurant Lékárna with its recipe for duck breast with asparagus and beer pancake. Now you can try this award-winning dish yourself.

Ingredients:

Main dish:

• 4 duck breasts
• 6 egg yolks
• 700 ml Pilsner Urquell beer
• 200 g sugar
• 200 g green asparagus
• 100 g duck fat
• 200 g clarified butter
• 150 g speck (Iberian bacon)
• thyme
• star anise
• garlic
• rice paper
• oil (for frying)

Beer Pancakes:

• 500 g plain flour
• 42 g yeast
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 400 ml warm milk
• 300 ml Pilsner Urquell beer

Instructions:

1. Duck Breast:
   Clean the duck breasts and score the skin against the grain in a crosshatch pattern. Season with salt and pepper, and sear each side in a hot pan for about 2 minutes. Transfer the breasts into a vacuum-sealed bag along with clarified butter, duck fat, and thyme. Cook sous-vide for 1.2 hours at 54°C.
2. Duck Demi-Glace:
   Prepare a classic demi-glace using duck bones, replacing wine with Pilsner Urquell.
3. Beer Caramel (Beer "Honey"):
   Caramelize the sugar into a golden brown, pour in 700 ml of Pilsner Urquell, add a pinch of star anise, and reduce until it reaches a honey-like consistency.
4. Yolk Gel:
   Place the egg yolks in a vacuum bag and sous-vide them at 63°C for 2 hours. Strain through a fine sieve and chill.
5. Rice Chip:
   Fry rice paper in hot oil for about 3–4 seconds, twisting it with tweezers as it enters the oil.
6. Beer Pancakes:
   In a bowl, combine sugar, yeast, and warm milk; mix and let the yeast activate. In another bowl, mix flour with salt and eggs, then combine with the yeast mixture and beer. Mix thoroughly and let the batter rise in a warm place. Fry pancakes in duck fat on a hot pan until golden brown.
7. Asparagus:
   Clean and trim the asparagus to the same size. Boil in water with sugar, salt, and lemon for 3–4 minutes (depending on thickness). Immediately cool in an ice water bath.
8. Crispy Speck:
   Dice the Iberian speck finely, render until crispy, and strain.
9. Final Assembly:
   Remove duck breast from the sous-vide bag and sear in hot butter with garlic and thyme. After searing, brush with the beer caramel and coat in chopped chives. Sauté asparagus in clarified butter. On a warmed plate, arrange the beer pancake topped with a rice chip and yolk gel, lay on the sautéed asparagus, and add sliced duck breast. Season with Maldon salt. Finish with duck demi-glace, crispy speck bits, thyme oil, and garnish with fresh ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea).

Ground ivy was historically used in brewing before hops became common, serving as both a preservative and a flavoring agent.

Recipe Authors:
Chef Jiří Soukup, Lenka Fratričová