Duck Breast Tacos with Plum Salsa

• 1 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho or other chile
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 boneless, skin-on duck breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 3 or 4 corn tortillas, preferably homemade (page 84)
• 1/2 jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded (seeds reserved)
• 1 barely ripe black or red plum, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small shallot lobe, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 3 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Using a spice grinder (such as a coffee grinder reserved for spices), grind the star anise, dried oregano, and Szechuan peppercorns to a fine powder.
2. Dump into a small bowl and stir in the ground ancho, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Pat dry the duck breasts with a paper towel.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut through just the skin and fat, without piercing the meat, in 1-inch intervals, then repeat the cuts at a 90 angle to make a crosshatch pattern all across the skin.
5. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the duck breasts.
6. Pack in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags, squeezing as much air out as possible, and refrigerate for several hours or as long as 24 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 450F.
8. In a small roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, roast the duck breasts skin side up for 10 minutes.
9. Increase the heat to 550F and turn the breasts skin side down.
10. Roast until much of the fat has rendered and the skin is browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
11. Transfer to a plate, pour off the extra duck fat from the pan and reserve for another use.
12. Let the duck breasts rest for at least 10 minutes.
13. (If desired, wrap one of the duck breasts in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 1 week for a later meal.)
14. Warm the tortillas (see page 85) and wrap them in aluminum foil to keep warm.
15. Meanwhile, make the salsa.
16. Finely chop the jalapeno.
17. In a small mixing bowl, combine the jalapeno with the plum, shallot, cilantro, mint, lime juice, oil, and a generous sprinkling of salt.
18. Taste, add more salt if necessary; if you want more heat, add some of the reserved jalapeno seeds.
19. Lay the tortillas out on a plate.
20. Cut the duck breast crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, place a couple of slices on each tortilla, top each with the plum salsa, and eat.

star anise, oregano, szechuan peppercorns, ground ancho, kosher, ground cinnamon, corn tortillas, jalapeno chile, black, shallot lobe, cilantro, mint, freshly squeezed lime juice, extravirgin olive oil

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/duck-breast-tacos-with-plum-salsa-382541 (may not work)