Grilled Duck Breast, Corn, Simple Green Salad

Dear Julia,

Sunday night in August, a lovely day at the beach with our dog Bryn and our dog's best friend Nero. We planned on an easy dinner.

-duck breast on the grill - local LI duck
-ears of corn on the grill - farmstand fresh
-salad, a red curly lettuce - Sang Lee Farms
-appetizer - farmstand curbys with salt
-lovely with a delicous 2005 NF cabernet.

For 10 years I've adhered with fabulous results to your salad dressing technique of 1:3, vinegar to oil. In The Way to Cook you say you're refined that, more 1:5. I agree, and my way of refining over the years has been to use more subtle vinegars. I make my own. Cider vinegar infused with rose petal, or blood orange peel, or tarragon. And we've just decided to make one with garden chervil -- a bit more delicate than tarragon.

Tonight's dressing I proportioned 1:3, using a very good virgin (green) olive oil from Crete, with my orange peel vinegar, a touch of balsamic and a teaspoon of smooth french mustard. It was perfect with the simple red green salad, allowing the fresh flavors of the lettuce to shine through.

Duck - pefectly grilled pink, just with salt and pepper
Corn - grilled, turned so all sides cooked, sweet and delicious with no butter.

Julia, I know The Way to Cook was your opus magnum. You say it is your favorite book, about classic techniques and creativity. To me that means applying classic tecnhiques to local, deliciously ripe in season, and sustainable foods.

Attitudes about food have changed since the 1960s when my first book came out. More and more of us have less time to shop and cook, and we are becoming more health conscious and aware of what is in our food. ....I am aiming this, in my seventh book, at the new generation of cooks who have not grown up in the old traditions, but who need a basic knowledge of good food so that they may enjoy fresh, healthy home cooking.

And I know you would add, and have fun. We did.

Cost: farmstand $3, leftover duck breast $2?

Bon appetit.
Slow Julia