My first adventure with duck salad was in a very small, quaint French restaurant in Paris. This recipe is very reminiscent of that dish many years ago. The duck in this fanciful and flavorful salad is poached in stock without skin, making it succulent and low fat. The same stock adds flavor to the creamy dressing. Those crispy bits of skin, or “cracklings˝ add a heavenly if not exactly dietetic crunch to the salad. Use as many as you dare!
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 whole Moulard duck breast, cut into 2 cutlets
11/2 oz Glace de Canard Gold® (More Than Gourmet Duck Stock) + 1-1/4 cup hot water***
2 tbs green peppercorn mustard
1 clove garlic
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup almond oil
4 oz mixed field greens
1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
3 oz Manchego or Gruyère cheese, cut into matchsticks
1 tart green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Skin duck, and cut skin into 1/2-inch squares, combine with 2 tbs water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer until fat is rendered and skin is very crisp. Remove cracklings and blot on paper towels.
2. Heat 1 tbs duck fat in a large skillet over high heat. Blot breasts dry and brown duck on both sides, 1 minute per side.
3. Add diluted Glace de Canard Gold® to pan, cover, and simmer for 6 minutes.
4. Remove breasts, cut into thin slices across the grain, and return to stock.
5. Blend mustard, garlic, 1 cup of the poaching liquid, and vinegar in a blender until smooth. With motor running, pour in oil.
6. Combine greens, almonds, cheese, apple, parsley, cracklings, and drained duck in a salad bowl. Add dressing, season with salt and pepper, toss, and serve.

 Cooking Tips
***These items are all available on the www.clubsauce.com website if they cannot be purchased at your local gourmet shop.