Roast Duck Breasts with Pomegranate-Chile Sauce

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 
• 4 large california chiles dried stemmed seeded
• 1.5 teaspoons adobo sauce from chipotle chiles in adobo canned
• 8 servings coarse kosher salt 
• 40 ounce duck breast halves boneless fat trimmed
• 8 servings ground coriander 
• 0.1 teaspoon ground cumin toasted (not )
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth 
• 2 cups pomegranate juice refrigerated (such as Pom)
• 8 servings pomegranate seeds fresh
• 0.3 cup sugar 
• 0.5 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• blender
• cutting board

Directions

1. Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavylarge saucepan over medium heat untilsugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil untilsyrup is deep amber color, swirling panoccasionally, about 8 minutes.
2. Add juice,broth, and California chiles. Boil until sauceis reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 25 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; cool. Puree in tightlycovered blender until smooth, about 2minutes.
4. Transfer to bowl.
5. Whisk in adobosauce, vinegar, and cumin. Season to tastewith generous amount of coarse salt andpepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 weekahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over lowheat before using.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F. Score skinof duck (don't cut into flesh) with 5 cuts in1 direction; repeat in opposite direction,making diamond pattern.
7. Sprinkle duck allover with coarse salt, pepper, and groundcoriander.
8. Place 2 large ovenproof skilletsover medium-high heat.
9. Add duck, skin sidedown, to skillets, dividing equally. Cookduck until skin is crisp and deep brown,about 7 minutes. Turn duck over; cook 1minute.
10. Pour off fat.
11. Transfer skillets tooven. Roast duck until cooked to mediumrare,about 5 minutes.
12. Transfer duck to cutting board.
13. Letrest 5 minutes. Thinly slice each breastcrosswise on slight diagonal. Arrange sliceson plates. Spoon sauce over.
14. Sprinkle withpomegranate seeds.
15. * Available at some supermarkets and atspecialty foods stores and Latin markets.
16. ** Dried, smoked jalapeños in a spicy tomatosauce called adobo; available at somesupermarkets and at specialty foods storesand Latin markets.