Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fennel salad:

1 fennel bulb, white part only, shredded

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1. Pound the duck halves between two pieces of wax paper with a heavy pan or a mallet to even out the thickness (or have your butcher do it). Score the skin with a very sharp knife by cutting crisscrossing lines on it, making sure not to cut into the duck meat. Place the breasts on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with wax paper. Refrigerate overnight to allow the skin to dry out.

2. In a small bowl combine the apricots and either raisins or cherries, and macerate them with the port for at least an hour. Strain the port and reserve the fruit and port

3. On medium-high heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet large enough to hold the 4 breast halves. Saute the duck breasts, skin-side down, for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the skin is very crisp and nicely browned. Turn the breasts over and saute for another 5 minutes, or until the duck breasts are medium-rare. Transfer to a wooden carving platter and loosely cover. (If you prefer medium, cook for another 2 minutes on the second side.) Let rest for 10 minutes.

4. To make the sauce: Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the pan and saute the shallots over medium-high heat for a minute, or until softened, stirring up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, honey, reserved port and macerated dried fruit, and increase the heat to high. Reduce the mixture to a light glaze, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the butter to thicken and add sheen to the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Combine the fennel, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and chives in a bowl and toss with tongs to coat the fennel.

6. Spoon the fennel equally onto one side of each dinner plate. Slice the duck breasts thinly and arrange them overlapping on each serving plate. Spoon over the sauce and serve immediately.

Advance preparation: This should be prepared through Step 1 up to one day ahead and refrigerated. You can macerate the dried fruit up to eight hours ahead.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)