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Tyler Florence
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Pre-heat oven to 400Au00b0F.
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Begin by preparing the pumpkin. Cut pumpkin into halves and then scoop out the seeds. Cut the halves into 8 wedges and put them into a large mixing bowl. Add the room-temperature butter, fresh sage, toasted walnuts, and honey to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 3/4 of the butter mixture to the pumpkin in the mixing bowl and toss to coat each piece evenly. Reserve the remaining 1/4 of the butter mixture for the duck breasts. Take a large baking sheet and lay out the pumpkin wedges in a single layer with plenty of space between each piece. Sprinkle each piece with some brown sugar and then roast in the oven until tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare the duck breasts. Lay them out on a cutting board skin side up and score (lightly cut into) each breast in a diamond pattern which will allow the fat to render and the skin will get crispy. Combine the cinnamon, cloves & fresh sage together in a bowl and season the breast with spice mixture, salt and pepper.
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To cook, coat the bottom of a large saute pan with olive oil and put the pan over medium heat. When the oil is smoking, add the breasts, skin side down, and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, occasionally dumping fat into a bowl. Cool until most of the fat is rendered (cooked off) and the skin is browned and crispy. Turn the breasts and cook 3 to 4 more minutes for medium doneness. Take the duck out of the pan and put it on a platter and set aside. Add the reserved butter mixture to the pan until melted and is a light brown color.
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To serve, cut the duck breasts crosswise, on an angle, into 8 slices each lay over a small stack of pumpkin wedges and pour over the brown butter. Garnish with Israeli arugala leaves, or regular arugala.
