Duck Confit Salad w/ Pears & Goat Cheese Toasts

This is the result of the bounty of French products ordered on line from a French specialty food company.
I ordered duck confit, duck rillettes, and some nice pates and chestnut preserves.

I also received this lovely log of Ile de France chevre, so decided to make these baked toasts and top the salad with some duck and some goat cheese crostini. It tasted very much like Paris.



Duck Confit Salad w/ Goat Cheese Toasts & Pears (serves 2)

head of frisee or mixed lettuces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 tsp honey

duck confit (2 cooked duck legs, preserved in duck fat)
1 ripe Anjou pear, sliced thin
toasted walnuts (optional)

1/2 a baguette, sliced 1.5" thick
olive oil
a few slices of goat cheese (chevre) from a log

First make your dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

I used duck confit already prepared. All I had to do was cook the legs in a skillet on low heat for 6 minutes on each side in some duck fat (use splatter screen, it makes a mess!). Transfer to paper towels to blot.



For your goat cheese toasts:
Cut your baguette into slices and place in a bowl. Toss liberally with olive oil, coating both sides & soaking up the olive oil.
Toast on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven, about 5 minutes, keep an eye on them so they don't burn.



Turn your toasts over, and lay a round of sliced goat cheese on top of each bread slice & sprinkle with black pepper. Place back in the oven and toast with the cheese for another 5 minutes.



Arrange your salad, duck legs and pear slices. Pour dressing over salad and top with goat cheese toasts.

This was a treat!



PS This recipe won a $500 Chef's Choice Prize in the Ile de France Cheese Recipe Contest! Woohoo!