Frisèe, Fennel & Hearts of Palm Salad with Pomegranate

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Frisee, Fennel, Avocado, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Pomegranate SeedsI spent most of a long plane ride home yesterday daydreaming about this salad.  After 2 weeks of exploring chilly cities (across 3 countries that adore French fries even more than the US) and seeking warmth through said frites, wild game, and stewed meats, I was ready for crisp vegetables and a tall glass of water.  

Thankfully, 12 hours on a plane will give you plenty of time to dream up a great salad.  I thought about everything my over-indulged body was craving and, as soon as I got home from the grocery store, put it all together in a big bowl: crisp fennel, bitter greens, hearts of palm, creamy avocado, and crunchy pomegranate seeds.  The combination satisfies with its contrasting textures and gorgeous shades of pale green with ruby-red accents. And while nothing can beat being on vacation, it’s awfully nice to enjoy a meal in the comfort of your own home that doesn’t leave you feeling like you need to be air-lifted from the table.  

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Oyster Mushroom & Potato Salade Lyonnaise

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Salade Lyonnaise with Oyster Mushrooms & Potatoes

So far, 2013 is going pretty well for me.  We’re only 2 weeks in and I’ve already accomplished several of my goals for the year:

I have a clean, organized office.

I’ve been doing more than sit in the sauna when I go to the gym.

I’ve actually been keeping up on laundry and making the bed.

I’ve been baking bread.

I finally learned how to poach an egg.

Yes!  Now I can make a real salade Lyonnaise instead of copping out and insisting that “it tastes better with a fried egg, anyway”.

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Black Lentil & Sweet Potato Bread Salad

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Beluga Lenti & Yam Panzanella Salad

It’s so easy to make a big, fresh salad in summer and call it dinner.  I’ll slice up a tomato and a couple cukes and I’m good to go.

Then winter happens and my thoughts turn from fresh and crisp toward melty, gooey, roasted, toasted, tender, warm, and comforting.  What happened to my salads?  What happened to my waistline?

Enter, a winter riff on the Panzanella salad: black lentil, sweet potato, and bread salad.  It’s a perfect solution.  It is full of healthy things- legumes, whole grain bread, frisee, and vitamin-packed sweet potatoes.  Totally nutritious and satisfying but with the same comfort factor as Thanksgiving stuffing.

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Skillet Roasted Duck Breast with Italian Plums

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The air has turned crisp.  Evening is setting in earlier and earlier.  Summer is behind us and fall has arrived.  Time to roast, time to braise, time to unpack the sweaters, time for earthy red wines.

Time for Duck!

Datenight Duck.  Beautifully seared and roasted duck breasts with sweet, herby roasted plums and red wine sauce.  Just like going to a restaurant except I’ll be in slippers.

Let’s gather our ingredients.

Plums, a shallot, a few sprigs from the garden.  Halve your plums, mince your shallots, chop the herbs, and score your duck breast.  We’ll be cooking in no time.

Let the duck skin get nice and cripsy, then flip and let it finish in the oven.  Look- aren’t you glad you scored that skin.

Plate the duck.  Make it look all restauranty.  Call your date to the table.  Realize that $6 bottle of red just won’t do.  Revel in your awesomeness.

 

Skillet Roasted Duck Breasts with Italian Plums
 
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This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled if you are cooking for a group. I serve the duck over frisee which offers a little bitterness to offset the sweetness of the plums as well as roasted fingerling potatoes.
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Duck Breasts (I used 1 large Magret breast which weighed in at almost 1 lb. Feel free to use 2 small breasts, if you prefer)
  • 6 Italian Plums
  • A Few Sprigs of Hearty Herbs (Sage & Rosemary are good choices)
  • 1 Small Shallot, Minced
  • ¼ c. Dry Red Wine
  • 1 T. Butter
  • Handful of Frisee
  • Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. If serving with potatoes, get these into the oven while you work on the duck. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  3. Score the duck skin in a diamond pattern, taking care not to cut through the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat iron skillet (any oven-proof pan will do) and place duck skin-side down. Allow duck skin to become crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
  4. While the duck is being seared, halve and pit the plums and mince the herbs.
  5. When the duck skin is appropriately golden, pour off most of the rendered fat (save this!), flip the duck, add the plums & herbs, season with salt and pepper and roast in oven until the duck is rosy and the plums are very juicy, about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove duck and plums, tent, and allow to rest on cutting board.
  6. Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, add minced shallots to pan juices and saute until translucent. Add red wine and allow to reduce by half. Turn off heat and finish sauce with butter and season as necessary. Thinly slice duck breast and fan over a mound of frisee and a few roasted potatoes. Top with roasted plums and spoon sauce over meat.