CHARLIE PALMER'S Sensational Summer Recipes!

By Charlie Palmer

To Prepare the Gazpacho:

Combine the tomatoes, celery, peppers, cucumber, carrot, and onion in a large, shallow dish. Add the water, oil, vinegar, basil, and garlic, and season with sea salt and white pepper to taste; mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Purée the gazpacho right in the bowl, using a hand blender, or process it in batches in a blender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper, if needed and return the gazpacho to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Garnish:

Sauté the shrimp lightly in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pep¬per. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled.

Shortly before serving, halve the avocado, remove the pit, and use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh in one piece. Put the avocado halves on the cutting board cut-side down and cut into large chunks. Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado; season to taste with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

If the gazpacho has separated a little, hit it again with a hand blender before serving. Pour the gazpacho into well-chilled bowls. Arrange the shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, and cilantro over the soup, which is so thick that they’ll sit right on top. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

SOY-GLAZED DUCK BREAST

2 Moulard duck breasts, trimmed of excess fat

To Marinate the Duck:

In a large saucepan combine the soy sauce, water, honey, ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon, and slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the mixture steep in the pan until cool.

To allow the fat to render out more easily, use a thin, sharp knife to score the duck skin and fat in a crisscross pattern. Don’t cut all the way through to the breast meat—just three-quarters of the way through.

Place the duck breasts skin-side up in a shallow pan and pour the cooled glaze over them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, turning the duck breasts halfway through.

To Roast:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the duck breasts from the mari¬nade and pat dry. Place them skin-side down in an ovenproof pan large enough to hold them as well as the mushrooms. Don’t let the pan to get too hot—any marinade with sugar (honey, in this case) can quickly burn as the sugars over-caramelize. Add the mushroom caps to the pan and trans¬fer to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the breasts over for the last 4 or 5 minutes of cooking.

The duck breasts are done when they register 130°F on an instant-read ther¬mometer. Remove them from the pan to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

To Serve:

Thinly slice the duck breasts on the bias and cut the portobellos into thick strips.

Arrange the mushrooms and duck on a bed of noodle salad. Drizzle with more ponzu.

For the Ponzu:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seed

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/4 cup dark sesame oil

1 oz grated fresh ginger

To Cook:

In a medium saucepan combine the veg¬etable oil, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Warm over low heat to infuse the oil with chile-pepper flavor, about 10 minutes.

Coarsely grind the peppercorns and cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle.

Add the lemon juice, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, ginger, and the ground pepper and cumin to the chile-infused oil. Slowly bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Let stand at room temperature until cool, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids to squeeze out all the liquid. Discard the solids. Pour the sauce into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. (The sauce may be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)

For the Soba Noodle and Arugula Salad with Ponzu:

1 Tablespoon black and white sesame seeds, toasted

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes and submerge a colander in it.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the soba noodles for 5 minutes—no more. Really stay on top of the timing here—unlike Italian pasta, soba noodles can go from perfect to mushy before you know it. Drain the noodles and drop them into the ice bath to chill. Lift out the colander and drain the noodles again.

Combine the noodles, arugula, radishes, and carrot in a bowl. Dress the salad with ponzu, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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