This recipe is inspired by Chef Aristodemos Pavlou at Comtesse Therese Bistro in Aquebogue.

A bunch of us were just sitting around late one Sunday night at the Bistro after all the customers had left. Talking about how, in the early spring, right around when the crocuses bloom, the queen bee starts coming out of the hive and becoming active. When nature wakes up (see Signs of Spring and Flowers Bloom) and plants and flowers start growing and pollinating, that's when the bees start foraging.

So I wanted to write a recipe using the local North Fork honey, and I asked Chef Arie , "what recipe can we create"? He said, how about pan-seared local duck breast with spiced honey? He gave me the outline of it, and here it is. He said he might actually try serving it at the Bistro.

Ingredients:

• Duck breasts
• Honey, about 1/4 cup
• Shallots, chopped
• Small amount of oil for frying
• Pinch of allspice and ground cumin
• Salt, pepper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Score the skin side of the duck breasts 1/4 deep in a criss-cross pattern (like a lattice). Generously salt and pepper both sides of the duck breasts.

Heat up a little oil in the frying pan on a medium to  high heat,  then sear the duck breasts skin side down for about six minutes, until the skin is browned and the duck breast is partially cooked through. Then flip it over and cook on the meat side for about two minutes. Listen to the sound of the pan sizzling. If it's not sizzling enough, turn the heat up, but if sizzling is too loud, the heat's too high.

Take the duck breasts out of the frying pan, but save the fat in the frying pan. Put the duck breasts onto a baking sheet lined with foil, and put in the oven to continue cooking for about six more minutes.

Meanwhile, sautee the chopped shallots in the frying pan with the duck fat. (Depending on how much duck fat was rendered, you may want to discard some of the duck fat.) Cook the shallots till softened, add some honey, then and add just a pinch or two of ground allspice and ground cumin, and stir.  Don't cook the honey too much. Drizzle some of the spiced honey and shallots on the finished duck breast.

That's it! Easy!