A Tale of Two Salsas (Part One)

I’ve been quite busy lately getting organized after our move to the new apartment, so I haven’t had a lot to report on the cooking front.  That changed last night, when in an attempt to use up leftovers (particularly cilantro), I made a whole bunch of salsa.  Two different kinds, in fact.  Having already decided to make salsa to get rid of excess tomatoes and cilantro from the Fourth of July caprese salad, it was an easy step to also make a fruit salsa to accompany dinner.  Having had some excellent plums from Whole Foods the other day, I decided to see if plums could in fact be salsafied.  The answer is yes, spectacularly:

Then the question became what to serve it with.  It’s best with salsas to let them rest overnight so that the flavors meld, so I took the opportunity to thaw the other half of the duck breast I bought for my boyfriend’s birthday.  And today I discovered an excellent spice rub combination to put on the duck.  It turned out to be an auspicious combination, and this is a dinner I will remember for a long time.  Not quite as euphoric a success as the day I learned to make risotto, but close.  The sweet potatoes are from a mix, so don’t get too excited there.

Recipes, with my notes, are below the fold.

Plum Salsa (adapted from Zested)

• 1 small onion
• 2-3 scallions
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4-5 plums
• 2-3 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 small jalapeño
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch sugar

Dice the onion and scallions, and place them in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir in the lemon juice, and let sit for 10 minutes.  (The lemon will take the edge off the onion.)

Cut plums into ½-inch or smaller chunks, and finely chop the cilantro.  Remove seeds and white parts from the jalapeño, and mince.  Add the plums, cilantro, jalapeño, olive oil, salt, and sugar to the mixing bowl and stir well.  Let the salsa sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors meld, then adjust the salt, sweetness, and tartness to taste.

If I had it to do over again, I’d use a subtler variety of onion.  I really don’t know my Allium, and will one day have to investigate the world of oniondom further.  I’d also use more jalapeno… kick is good, especially with duck!

Six-Spice Duck Rub (adapted from Newsday)

Enough for four breasts.

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all, and thickly coat the non-fatty side of the duck breast before cooking.

I sauteed the duck in a miniscule amount of olive oil for four minutes a side, beginning with the skin side down so that the duck could contribute its own fats to the pan.  Then I popped it into a preheated 400° oven for five minutes to finish up.  It worked quite well, and the duck came out fully cooked but still juicy. And it only took twenty minutes! With the salsa as a make-ahead, this qualifies as an easy dinner.