Hi - I wanted to share a special but easy dinner I made for a special date this weekend. It's not your everyday, weeknight meal, but it turned out beautifully and I received rave reviews (he had never had duck before!).

I served duck breasts with dressed spring greens and potato and pear salad. I doubled the dressing for the potato/pear salad and dressed the green salad (without the onion and capers) with some of the extra. I sprinkled some toasted hazlenuts (they were in the freezer) on the plate, too.

Duck Breast with Chili Glaze
Serves 4
Since I made this for just 2, I saved the extra glaze to use on chicken or pork.

1 medium-sized dried ancho chili (available in most grocery stores)
1/2 cup boiling water
2 TBL honey
1/2 cup port
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
juice of one large (or 2 small) lime
4 boneless duck breasts
salt and pepper

Pour boiling water over stemmed and seeded ancho chili and soften for 45 minutes. Place chili with softening water, honey, port, and ginger in blender and puree (doesn't have to be totally smooth). Place in small saucepan and cook for about 12-15 minutes until cooked down and thickened.

Score the skin side of the duck breasts through the skin, into the fat (but not through to the meat) into a 1/3" cross-hatch pattern (this is necessary to drain away the fat that lies under the skin - a sharp knife makes this easy). Season both sides well with salt and pepper. Heat the oven to 400F.

Heat a heavy fry pan over medium heat and place the duck breasts skin side down in the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the most of the visible layer of fat under the skin has rendered and the skin is brown and crisp (turn the heat down a bit if the skin is getting too brown before the fat has melted away). Pour off the fat (save and saute some potatoes in it another day!).

Brush flesh side of breast generously with chili glaze, turn over, and brush skin side generously with glaze. Place pan in oven, skin side up, and finish cooking, about 5 minutes (since I don't care for my duck breast rare, as they serve it in restaurants, you may want to adjust the cooking time down a bit, if you do).

When duck is cooked, remove it to a plate to rest for 5-10 minutes. Deglaze pan with lime juice, and drizzle the pan juices over the duck breast to serve. I sliced it and fanned it out a bit on one side of the salad greens, for presentation.

Pear and Potato Salad
Serves 4

3 medium boiling potatoes (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
1 large pear, fragrant but still firm
2 TBL vinegar of choice (rice or white wine, sherry, etc.)
1/3 cup salad oil (I use olive oil)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. finely minced scallion, onion, OR shallot
2 tsp. chopped capers

Cook potatoes in their jackets until tender (about 1/2 hour). When potatoes are cool
enough to handle, peel and slice about 1/4” thick (not to thin, or they disinegrate). Peel and core pears and slice. Mix remaming ingredients and toss with potatoes and pears.

May be served warm or room.