SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE AND BLACKBERRY SALAD serves: 4 total tin1e: 40 minutes 2 (8- to 10-ounce) boneless split duck breasts, trimmed ¼ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 oranges 6 ounces (1¼ cups) blackberries, halved ½ head frisee (3 ounces), torn into bite- size pieces 2 ounces (2 cups) baby watercress or baby arugula 1 cup Quick Pickled Fennel (page 000) 6 tablespoons Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette (page 000), divided Ql1ick Picklir1g Traditional pickles preserve food through anaerobic fermentation in which lactobacillus bacteria turn sugars into lactic acids. Quick pick ling simply injects foods with flavor and tenderizes raw textures. Heat the brine, pour it over the vegetables, and cool them in the jar. Quick pickling won't create shelf-stable pickles but it adds superb flavor and crunch to salads, vegetables, steak, burgers, and more. 6 modern bistro cooking ,vhy this recipe ,vorks some pairings are so perfect that they become classics. Duck a l'orange is one such French pairing. We make it into a beautiful modern main course salad, cooking two duck breasts slowly in a skillet skin side down to render the fat and creating a perfectly crispy cap of skin covering succulent, rosy meat. Lacy, delicately bitter frisee and soft and peppery baby watercress stand up to the duck's substantial presence. To com plement the duck's affinity for oranges and to cut through its richness, we slice oranges into sweet, juicy triangles and also juice them for a punchy orange-ginger vinaigrette. We add blackberries for visual interest and pops of sweetness. Lastly, the quick pickled fennel we use for our chicken salad (page 000) makes a com plexly flavored addition here, adding crunch, anise notes, and vinegary tartness. If you use mature watercress, trim its thicker, woodier stems before using and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. ·1 Using sharp knife, cut slits ½ inch apart in crosshatch pattern in duck skin and fat cap, being careful not to cut into meat. Pat breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 2 Heat 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low; carefully place breasts skin side down in skillet; and cook until skin begins to render fat, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, adjusting heat as needed for fat to maintain constant but gentle sizzle, until most of fat has been rendered and skin is deep golden and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. 3 Flip breasts skin side up and continue to cook until duck reg isters 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer breasts to cutting board and let rest while finishing salad. 4 Meanwhile, cut away peel and pith from oranges. Quarter oranges, then slice crosswise ¼ inch thick. Slice breasts ¼ inch thick. Gently toss blackberries, frisee, watercress, fennel, oranges, and ¼ cup vinaigrette in large bowl to combine. Top salad with duck and serve, drizzling with remaining 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. ORANGE-GINGER VINAIGRETTE 111akes: about 1 cup Lo Lal I in1e: 30 minutes Fruit juices with some tang make a sweet-tart vinaigrette base. Here we use orange juice; reducing 2 cups of juice to ½ cup creates a pleasant glaze-like consistency and means we need far less oil than usual to make a full-bodied vinaigrette. A little fresh lime juice add bright acidity, and honey enhances its sweetness. To avoid off-flavors, reduce the juice in a nonreactive stainless-steel saucepan. 2 cups orange Juice (4 oranges) 1 tablespoon honey 3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes) 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ½ teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Bring orange juice and honey to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and measures about 1/3 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer syrup to medium bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes. Whisk in lime juice, shallot, ginger, salt, and pepper until com bined. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; whisk to recombine before using.) CRIS PY PAN-SEARED SEA BASS WITH RAMP PISTOU serves: 4 total tirne: 1¼ hours 2 teaspoons table salt, divided 1½ teaspoons sugar 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on sea bass fish fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 6 ounces ramps, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces, divided 3 tablespoons chopped toasted pistachios 2 tablespoons water, plus extra as needed 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese ,vhy tliis reCi J)e ,vorks April Fool's Day is called poisson d'Avril in France, and kids try to pin the picture of a fish on adults' backs. We'd rather eat fish! So we pair pan-seared crispy-skinned sea bass fillets with seasonal ramps in this stunning main you might expect to see at your favorite bistro. Scoring and brining the fish with a salt-sugar mix ture ensures a perfectly seasoned fillet. To tame the ramps' pungency, we saute sliced bulbs until softened, add most of the ramp greens (reserving ¼ cup for later) and cook until just wilted, then process the cooked ramps along with reserved fresh ramps into a bright pistou. This recipe makes about 1 cup of pistou. Extra pistou can be refriger ated for up to three days. Skin-on artic char, bluefish, farmed or wild salmon, or red snapper fillets make good substitutes for the sea bass. I Combine 1½ teaspoons salt and sugar in small bowl. Using sharp knife, make 3 or 4 shallow slashes, about ½ inch apart, lengthwise in skin side of each fillet, being careful not to cut into flesh and stopping ½ inch from top and bottom edge of skin. Season flesh side of fillets evenly with salt mixture and place skin side up on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle skin side with ¼ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for 45 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, measure out ¼ cup ramp greens and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add ramp whites and cook until softened, about 2 min utes. Stir in remaining ramp greens and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to food processor and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. 3 Add pistachios, water, lemon juice, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup oil, and reserved ramp greens to food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl and stir in Parmesan. Adjust consistency with additional water as needed; set aside until ready to serve. 4 Pat fillets dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Place fillets skin side down in skillet. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and, using fish spatula, firmly press fillets for 20 to 30 seconds to ensure contact between skin and skillet. Continue to cook until skin is well browned and flesh is opaque except for top ¼ inch, 8 to 14 minutes. (If at any time during searing, oil starts to smoke or sides of fish start to brown, reduce heat so that oil is sizzling but not smoking.) 5 Off heat, flip fish and continue to cook using residual heat of skil let until fish registers 125 degrees, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer fish skin side up to large plate. Serve fish with pistou and lemon wedges. seafood 15 Next >