Directions

Make the fig ketchup: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay figs onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Lay the tomatoes onto a separate parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast them both in the oven until they begin to color, about 15 minutes for figs about 20 minutes for tomatoes.

In a medium sauce pot, toast the coriander and cumin over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the roasted figs and tomatoes, scrapping up as much of the juice and crusty parts as possible, palm sugar, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, cayenne pepper, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture reaches a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until it’s thick and jam-like, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Use a blender or food processor to thoroughly puree the mixture, adding a splash of extra vinegar to achieve the proper consistency if necessary. Taste and adjust acidity with more vinegar to taste. Refrigerate for several hours before using.

Make the duck patties: Remove the skin from the duck breasts, then roughly chop them. Place the duck breasts and 1 of the skins (also chopped) in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 6 or 8 times until well combined and the texture resembles slightly wet, coarsely ground beef.

Transfer the duck mixture to a large bowl. Roughly chop about half of the cilantro. Add 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, scallions, the chopped cilantro, five-spice powder, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl. Next, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. You be the judge if you think you need more breadcrumbs, add too many and the burgers will get rubbery, but the meat should hold together when pinched (but just barely). Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the pandesal rolls.

Grill and assemble the sliders: Prepare a medium-hot fire for both direct and indirect cooking in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the direct heat area of the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, just until done, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Watch for flare ups. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the pandesal rolls, cut side down, on the indirect edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, place some shredded Napa cabbage, cilantro leaves onto the roll bottoms, place a duck slider on top. Spoon on some of the fig ketchup to taste. Add the roll tops and serve.

Directions

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-bottomed large skillet over high heat until wisps of smoke come off the pan. Add garlic, Aleppo pepper, and thyme, and cook for a few seconds until just fragrant. Add tomatoes, stir to coat in oil, then cook, swirling occasionally, until tomatoes charred and about to burst, about 4 minutes. Immediately remove from heat, add drained pasta, pomegranate molasses, 1/4 cup of the pasta water, stir to coat, taste, and add salt or sugar as desired. Add remaining pasta water, as needed, so that the sauce delicately coats each strand of pasta.

Stir in remaining 1 tbsp of the oil, walnuts, and basil or parsley and toss to coat the pasta. Taste, add more salt and Aleppo pepper as desired and serve immediately.

Directions

Make the sauce: Heat all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan set over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a low boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency, about 1 hour. This recipe makes more sauce than you will need. You may store leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Prep the filets: Prehreat oven to 400 degrees F. Wilt the arugula in a scant amount of vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper. Transfer the arugula to a colander, pressing on it to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Roughly chop and set aside. Peel the potatoes. Using a mandoline with a julienne blade, slice the potatoes crosswise into 2" matchsticks. Then very roughly chop them to get a nice variety of sizes from 1/2" to about 1 1/2" long. Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the potatoes about 20 seconds. Drain them well. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and pat dry with more paper towels. You want them as dry as possible. Lay out a section of plastic wrap on the work surface. Make a circle of potatoes about twice the size of your filets and about 3/4" thick. Season one of the filets on both sides with more salt and pepper. Be generous. Place the meat onto the center of the potatoes. Top it with half the wilted arugula and another 1/2" of potatoes. Then use the plastic wrap to assist you in fully encasing the meat with potatoes by carefully pulling it up and around the meat sealing the plastic wrap tightly on the top. Repeat this process with the other filet and place them in the freezer about 10 minutes before proceeding. Heat about 1/4" vegetable oil in a 10-12" cast iron or heavy bottomed oven safe skillet. Heat the oil to shimmering and test the temperature with a few stray shards of potato. They should get golden brown in about 1 minute. Adjust temperature if necessary. Remove the filets from the freezer and carefully unwrap them. Then invert each one onto a large spatula and carefully peel off the plastic wrap. Not all of the potatoes will stick, and that is fine. But you may need to press a few shards into place to assure an even, fairly thick coating. Gently slide the filet into the hot oil. Then immediately repeat the process with the second fillet. Let the filets cook two or three minutes with out moving them. Once the potatoes are golden brown very carefully flip each filet, and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook the meat until the interior temperature reads 120 degrees on an instant read thermometer for rare, 125 degrees for medium rare. About 5-7 minutes. Transferring them to a cutting board to rest about 7 minutes. They will continue to cook a bit as they rest. To serve: Gently reheat the pomegranate sauce. Adding the butter and stirring constantly as it melts. Once it has fully emulsified, cut each fillet in half, taking care to keep the potato crust intact. Transfer both halves of each fillet to a warmed dinner plates. Spoon a couple of tablespoons onto the plate and serve immediately.