Grilled duck breast salad with fried curds & strawberries

Active: 20 minutes; Total: 40 minutes; Serves: 4

Duck breast, skin on; pat dry with paper towels; score the fat layer 1-inch apart in a crosshatch pattern	2
Salt, coarse	½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon +
Breadcrumbs, panko	¼ cup
Breadcrumbs, plain	¼ cup
Flour, all-purpose	¼ cup
Egg, lightly beaten	1 large
Cheese curds, fresh as possible; freeze 30 minutes before frying	6 ounces
Oil, extra-virgin olive	3 tablespoons + ½ cup
Baby arugula	5 ounces
Strawberries, sliced or quartered	1 cup
Vinegar, white balsamic	3 tablespoons
Shallots, chopped	2 teaspoons
Dijon mustard	½ teaspoon

1. Heat your panini press to medium-low. 
2. Season the duck with salt and pepper. 
3. Open the press lid, and lay one or both duck breasts on the grill, skin side down. 
4. Leaving the lid open, grill the duck until much of the fat has rendered and the skin is brown and crispy, 9 to 11 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallot, mustard, ½-teaspoon salt, and ½-teaspoon pepper; while whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil; set aside. 
6. Using tongs, flip the breasts over, and close the lid; grill until the meat is cooked to an internal temperature of 150°F, another 3 to 4 minutes. 
7. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing across the grain. 
8. Combine the panko, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. 
9. Place the flour and egg in separate shallow dishes. 
10. In a medium-size skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. 
11. Dredge each curd first into flour, then in egg (chef note: coat throughly or the cheese will ooze out during frying), and lastly in the breadcrumbs. 
12. Carefully lower the curds into the hot oil, ensuring not to overcrowd. 
13. Brown the curds, 1 to 2 minutes; drain on paper towels. 
14. Place the arugula and strawberries in a large bowl; pour the vinaigrette over the salad, and toss with tongs. 
15. To serve, divide the salad among four plates, and top each with some fried curds and sliced duck breast. 

Recipe from The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook by Kathy Strahs.

Blue cheese dressing

Blue cheese	2 ½ ounces
Buttermilk	3 tablespoons
Sour cream	3 tablespoons
Mayonnaise	2 tablespoons
Vinegar, white wine	2 teaspoons
Sugar	¼ teaspoon
Garlic powder	1/8 teaspoon
Pepper, freshly ground
Salt

1. Whisk the blue cheese and buttermilk together until it resembles cottage cheese.
2. Whisk in the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Seared fennel & tomatoes with mustard vinaigrette

Mustard, Dijon	2 tablespoons
Vinegar, red wine	2 tablespoons
Oil, extra-virgin olive	½ cup + 6 tablespoons
Salt, kosher
Pepper, freshly ground
Tomatoes, Roma, halved lengthwise	4
Fennel bulbs, trimmed, sliced ½-inch-thick lengthwise through the core; small fronds reserved for garnish	3
Basil leaves	Garnish

1. In a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar. 
2. While whisking constantly, drizzle in the ½-cup oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat a griddle or large skillet. (Note: Avoid cast-iron as the tomato juice acid is rough on the pan.) 
4. Brush the tomatoes and fennel all over with the remaining 6-tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. 
5. Working in batches, cook the tomatoes cut side down until lightly charred, about 3 minutes; transfer to a platter charred side up. 
6. Working in batches, cook the fennel, turning once, until just tender and lightly charred, about 6 minutes; transfer to the platter with the tomatoes. 
7. Drizzle the vegetables with the vinaigrette, and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds and basil leaves. 
8. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, September 2017.

Almond-poached chicken salad

Chicken breast, boneless, skinless	1 ½ pounds
Almond “milk”*, unsweetened	3 cups
Salt, kosher	1 tablespoon +
Pepper, freshly ground
Oil, extra-virgin olive	¼ cup
Vinegar, apple cider	3 tablespoons
Cauliflower, cored, cut into florets, thinly sliced	1 small head
Radishes, thinly sliced	4
Arugula	2 cups
Dill fronds, chopped	2/3 cup
Basil leaves, torn	½ cup
Almonds, roasted, salted, chopped	½ cup +

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the chicken with the almond “milk”* product. 
2. Add the salt, and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. 
3. Flip the chicken, and gently simmer until cooked through, about 7 minutes. 
4. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, and transfer to a plate; discard the poaching liquid. 
5. Let rest 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool. 
6. Shred the meat. 
7. In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. 
8. Add the chicken, cauliflower, and radishes; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. 
9. Gently fold in the arugula, dill, basil, and ½-cup almonds. 
10. Transfer the salad to plates, garnish with more chopped almonds, and serve. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, August 2017. 

*Almonds are not milked. As a former dairy farmer, with more than 20 years of pulling bovine teats to my credit, I feel calling an extraction of almond juice “milk” to be annoyingly inaccurate and misleading to an already bewildered customer.