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Duck Breasts and Grapes in a Lavender, Honey, and Mirin Reduction

• 2 Pekin duck breast sides
• 1 medium shallot, diced roughly
• ½ cup mirin
• 2 tablespoons duck or veal demi-glace
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (sherry vinegar would also work well)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 peppercorns
• sea salt
• 20-ish seedless white grapes

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat a medium non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season duck breasts with salt. Sear skin side down for 3 minutes. Turn and sear flesh side for 90 seconds. Remove duck breasts from pan, transfer to a wire rack set in a baking dish and roast in oven for 10 minutes for medium-rare. (An instant read meat thermometer should register 130°. Remove breasts from oven, place on cutting board, tent with foil and allow to rest for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a paper towel to blot up most of the fat in the sauté pan, leaving just enough to lightly lube the pan. (Use tongs to hold the paper towels, as the fat is HOT!)

Reduce heat to medium. Sauté shallots for 60 seconds. Raise heat to medium-high. Add mirin and allow to reduce by half. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to medium low, and allow to reduce until you have about 1/4 cup of sauce. Put the grapes in a two cup glass measuring cup. Pour sauce into cup through a chinois or other very fine sieve to filter out all solids.

I had picked up two pre-made potato pancakes at Whole Foods, which I had wrapped in foil and heated in the 350° oven for 15 minutes. I sliced the duck breasts on a slight bias and fanned the pieces out over the pancakes. I then poured half of the grape/sauce mixture over each breast. I also served some roasted sweet potatoes with carmelized red onions that I had also picked up an Whole Foods.

I poured a nine year old Napa cabernet. It worked great. In retrospect, however, I wonder if a sparkling wine - especially one based on Pinot Noir - would have worked better. The acidity and bubbles of a good sparkler would have cut through the richness of the duck and sauce to provide a lovely counterpoint.

I really liked this meal, if I may say so myself. (My good wife also was very enthusiastic.) The sauce was sweet without being cloying, the lavender perfume was enticing, the potato pancakes soaked up the duck juices and sauce, and the acidity of the grapes provided a nice palate cleanser. If you try this one, I’d very much like to know how it came out.