Duck Confit on Frisee with Black Mustard Balsamico Vinaigrette, with Black Pepper Polenta di Parma

Our valentine's tradition goes back to when my wife and I first met. For our first Valentine's day I made up a little menu for Trattoria Stefano since that's my name in Italian and I was going with Italian on this occasion. Ever since, we don't eat out on Valentine's but rather I spend half the day cooking and trying to cater to may lovely wife's culinary desires. This fusion of French and Italian flavors and preparations was act 4 and narrowly edged out the cod for the favorite dish of the night.

From gastronomic guesswork

The prepartion involved crisping the duck confit under a 450F broiler for 15 minutes, dolloping with duck fat (top and bottom) at the outset. Frisee, a classic paring with duck confit, was doused with the vinaigrette and the plate anointed with a few drops of the remnants. The polenta di parma followed the basic recipe, but was plated with a valley to hold a fresh texture of 3 year aged parmigiano reggiano. A symphony of flavor, and the best small plate in the Valentine's Trattoria Stefano repertoire. However, I missed a key planned ingredient: seared chanterelles were to accompany the duck but I spaced this out, so look for a duck and mushrooms dish in the future.