We were enjoying a beautiful foggy evening on the Hudson last night until some time after ten, part of the GORUCO (Gotham Ruby Conference) ‘Yacht Party’.  We didn’t arrive back home until 10:30, but I had promised us ahead that we would still have a good dinner at home (it wasn’t a ‘school night’, so the prospect of a late dinner was reasonable).

Duck can be pretty quick work, as can wilting some fresh greens, and that was my plan.  I had anticipated the meal when I bought a small (11-ounce) breast the day before; I was also anxious to taste an unusual find at the Greenmarket broccoli greens!  The amounts of both were modest, so we were able to enjoy a cheese course, and some more of the crusty sourdough bread from the day before.

By the way, the little ‘finger’ of duck below the larger piece is one half of the tenderloin; it had been seasoned as well, and was added to the pan only for a minute at the end of the cooking.

• one small duck breast from Pat LaFrieda at Eataly, the fatty side scored, covered with salt, pepper and a bit of turbinato sugar (which had been infused over time with a vanilla bean), then left standing for about half an hour before it was pan-fried, finished with a squeeze of lemon, chopped rosemary from Phillips Farm, and a bit of olive oil
• broccoli greens from Tamarack Hollow Farm, wilted in a covered pan in which organic garlic from trader Joe’s had been slowly warmed in olive oil, then seasoned and drizzled with some more oil
• thick slices of Trucio from Sullivan Street Bakery ensured that the juices wouldn’t languish on the plates

The cheese course included the same good bread, and three artisanal cheeses, in ascending order of strength:

• Ardith Mae’s ‘Bigelow’ goat cheese; Consider Bardwell’s ‘Danby’; and also their ‘Slyboro’