We've cooked duck a few times before, but haven't really posted many of those recipes, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to explore one of our favorite foods again.
Cocktail - Orient Apple Martini
Orient Apple vodka, pear nectar, seltzer, chunks of Asian pear
Delicious! The seltzer is necessary to cut down the thickness of the drink, but its light, refreshing, and the vodka has a slight spice to it that is delectable.
Appetizer - Pear Roquefort Salad
When I say lick the plates clean, I mean literally using your finger to wipe up every last drop of remaining dressing in the crevices of the bowl. Do not change a thing. Do not use a bottled salad dressing. Candy the pecans! The only change we made was using Asian pear instead of regular pear, and it was just as delicious. (For those wondering, an Asian pear tastes somewhat like a apple and a pear combined. Sweet and a little tart. I found them at Stop and Shop.)
Appetizer Wine - Enanzo Garnacha Rosado
This Spanish rose was the perfect accompaniment to the salad! Cold and crisp, it had flavors of ripe strawberry and watermelon and a slight spicy finish on the end. While on initial sip, it almost seemed "bitter", those flavors paired beautifully with the blue cheese, candied pecans, and all the other flavors going on in the appetizer. (And yes, we did a LOT of booze this meal... after all, it's been 3 weeks... need to make up for lost time.)
Entree - Pan Seared Duck w/ Red Chile Pear Sauce, Bourbon Brown Sugar Asian Pear Relish, and Blue Cheese Potato Cakes
Superb. Much to our surprise, this meal was light and delicate and unbelievably tasty. Let me walk you through...
Red Chile Pear Sauce. It sounds and even looks complicated. Half the ingredients. Dump it all in a saucepan at some point that morning, and let it reduce about an hour. Strain and put aside. When you're ready to start actually cooking your duck, then put it back in the saucepan, reduce slightly and thicken with the butter. This sauce is not a thick sauce - it's much more of a glaze. (Although, it's quite possibly we didn't cook it correctly. There was no picture for us to use as a frame of reference.) A few changes were made to the sauce. I couldn't find New Mexico chiles to save my life, so I dropped in 3 dried chile de arbol that I had from a certain tapas night. I also ran out of red wine (blasphemous, I know) so I used brandy instead. I doubt these made a life-changing alteration to the meal.
Bourbon Brown Sugar Asian Pear Relish. This takes about 30 seconds to prep. (You just chop.) It takes about 5 minutes on the stove. Easy. Your "I don't know how to cook" friend can manage this one.
Blue Cheese Cakes. Ahhhhhhhh. Yummmmmm. The potatoes need to be cold so they can be shaped properly. I made them in the morning, and I'm going to admit that I even used Betty Crocker instant potatoes from a pouch. (Gasp!) You would have never known the difference! Then just follow the recipe. It takes just minutes to cook.
Sooo.... the sauce is on the stove and ready to go. I score and season the duck. Jenn starts working on the potato cakes. I start searing the duck on the stove while chopping up Asian pears for the relish. Once the duck goes in the oven, I start the relish and Jenn starts frying the potato cakes. Everything is done at the same time. Voila!
Entree Wine - Penfold's 2008 Koonunga Shiraz Cabernet
International Wine Cellar - 88/100
It was a crazy week with no time to visit our friends at Harry's, so we explored John and Jenn's wine stockpile and decided on this Australian red. We chose this wine for a few reasons. First off, we like full bodied reds with lighter tannins. Secondly, we wanted a heavy wine to stand up to the duck and all the Latin/Asian flavors that were going on in the recipe. This wine was delicious. On the palate, there are flavors of plum, dark cherries, and tobacco with a lovely finish of spice and dark chocolate.
Dessert - Dark Chocolate Mousse
Oh. My. God. Make this. Right now. As in, stop reading this blog, grab your car keys, and run to the grocery store. This mousse was insanely delicious. I'm salivating thinking about it right now. And you can make it in advance, so how easy is that?! The only change was that I added a few more squares of chocolate based on the reviews on the website. So it probably was more like 6.5 ounces of dark chocolate. (Can you ever have too much chocolate?)
Aperitif - Grahams 6 Grapes Reserve Porto
Harry's recommended this the other week, and they truly knocked it out of the park with this one! This port had rich aromas of plums, cherries, and dark chocolate. It was fruity, spicy, savory - just delicious overall! One of the best ports we've had. Ever.
Next Week - Jennifer's Birthday
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