I served this cured duck hors d’oeuvre at my recent dinner party. Everything on my menu that night had some type of relevance to me. This dish represents the beginning of my professional career here in New York City. The duck pastrami was one of the things I learned to do at the first serious restaurant I worked at, a Mediterranean spot called Trigo. I used the same curing mixture to cure my duck breast at home, as I did back there at Trigo. I made my own dish from it though, by serving slices of the duck on endive leaves, with a garnish of minced apples. Endive leaves are a cool vehicle for hors d’oeuvres. I learned that trick at Aquavit. When I worked there we served tuna tartare on endive leaves as an hors d’oeuvre for private parties.