Crispy Five-Spice Duck, Cranberry Duck Glaze, Caramelized Red Endive, and Sautéed Spinach

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Lay the duck breasts skin side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to trim off the excess skin so that the remaining skin is the same shape as the breast. Reserve the trimmings for cooking.

Lightly score the skins of the duck breasts using a sharp paring knife; score the skin diagonally 5 mm apart. Rotate the breasts 90° and score again, intersecting the previous lines to make a crosshatched pattern.

Sprinkle salt and five-spice onto a sheet tray or baking pan.

Lay the duck breasts skin side up in the pan. Season heavily with more five-spice and salt and pepper to taste. Rub the duck breasts evenly in the salt and five-spice seasoning and let rest for 2 minutes before searing.

Heat a large cast-iron pan on low for 3 minutes. Lay the duck breasts in, skin side down, and gradually increase the heat to medium. Add the skin trimmings to the pan. Sear skin side down for 3 to 5 minutes or until most of the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown, flipping the breast over occasionally. Do not cook breasts on high heat or the skin will shrink a tremendous amount and get chewy instead of crispy.

Add the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute. Set the thyme, garlic, and duck skin trimmings evenly on top of the breasts with the skin side down so the thyme and garlic can absorb into the meat while roasting. Place in the center rack of the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly springy when pressed.

The internal temperature should reach 55°C for medium rare. Transfer to a sheet tray or plate to rest 8 to 10 minutes minutes before slicing.

Peel off the outer 2 leaves of the endive and use a paring knife to trim off a small amount of the stem. Make sure to cut off only the tough stem—too close to the leaves and they will fall off during cooking. Cut the trimmed endive in half lengthwise. Place on a sheet tray cut side up and sprinkle with salt. Dust all over with powdered sugar, turning to cover every side. Drizzle the cut sides with aged balsamic vinegar and finish with the zest of half the orange.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Place the endive cut side down into the hot pan and caramelize until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Dust any remaining powdered sugar into the pan. Flip the endive over and deglaze the pan with orange juice. Add the remaining olive oil and orange zest. Braise gently for 2 to 3 minutes until the endive is slightly soft and the liquid becomes the consistency of a glaze. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Drain the pan from cooking the duck breasts and add the honey to the pan over medium heat.

Caramelize the honey for 2 minutes or until it slightly thickens and begins to darken. Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar, shaking the pan frequently so the liquid can constantly coat the pan and receive even heat. Once the vinegar is almost evaporated and the liquid is a syrupy consistency, add the chicken stock and let the liquid cook down again for 3 to 5 minutes, or until most of the chicken stock has reduced. Add soy sauce and reduce until thickened again to a syrupy consistency. Add any juices gathered from the resting duck. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Finally, add the berries and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the berries finish cooking in the glaze off the heat.

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Season the pan with a pinch of salt before adding in the spinach. Add the spinach and season with another pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper. Let the spinach cook for 10 seconds and add the garlic and shallots over the top. Use a large spoon or tongs to flip the spinach over so the shallots and garlic can cook in the bottom of the pan. Make sure not to brown any of the ingredients. Toss the leaves every few seconds to have all of the spinach touch the hot surface of the pan, no longer than 20 seconds. Take the spinach off the heat when all the leaves are wilted and vibrant green.

Fan 3 endive across the top center of the plates with the core ends touching the center of the plate and spoon any excess cooking liquid over the endive. Place a heaping spoonful of the sautéed spinach slightly down center of the plates. Pull the tenderloins off each of the duck breasts and place on top of the spinach. With the duck breasts skin side down on the cutting board, slice the breasts into 4 to 5 pieces. Lay the sliced breasts shingled over the spinach. Spoon 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the cherries around the bottom of the plate. Spoon glaze over the cherries and duck breast.

Finish with a pinch of orange salt or Maldon salt and some oranges zests.