Ah, my loves, and oh, my friends last week we talked about making a melt in your mouth roast duck in the comfort of your own home. Aren't you glad we had that little talk? Cooking a whole bird has never been so decadent. The wonderful thing about buying whole birds is they come with a little packet of goodies: the giblets. The heart, gizzard, and neck maye be used for stock... because you will make stock from the leftover bones, of course. But the liver is destined for a far greater purpose: pate. 

Mmm, mmm, mmm, pate. That luscious spread is the epitome of fancy. I order it at restaurants every chance I get. Whether it be served at a French, American, or Hoffbrau establishment pate is always a pleasure to experience. It also usually comes paired with elegant little toasts, mini pickles, or whole grain mustards. Every bite is an adventure.

Do you realize this luxurious snack can be made at home with very humble ingredients? Do you? Nevermind, if you didn't, you do now. BEHOLD: my recipe for chicken liver and apple pate. As for the duck liver, just throw it in with the chicken livers. My version cuts back the butter content by half. I don't want to eat liver flavored butter, I want to eat liver.                 Click to read more    ------------------------------------->

Birthday duck, birthday duck, it's the best day of the year girl! Last week I mentioned the wonderful dinner Honey and I prepared for my most recent birthday. The centerpieces of the meal were a goose and a duck. "Why that combination?" I hear you asking. Honey and I had recently discovered a megamart near us that carries these fowl as a standard part of their stock. Never having cooked and eaten goose before, we thought my birthday offered a dandy opportunity for experimentation. We acquired one of each due to the fact that 2 geese would have been too much for the number of guests we anticipated. As it happened this was a lucky accident. 

While the goose was very handsome and stuffed with a scrumptious wild rice dressing (Honey and I like to live on the edge), the meat was tough. It was flavorful, of a dark hue reminiscent of red meat, and definitely required a patient set of choppers to consume. Everybody present nodded graciously over their servings of tough bird while hacking with their knives. In testimony to its toothsomeness the gallant goose was soon reduced to its natural armature... which I later used as the basis for a stock. Our conclusion after the meal was that goose is the mutton of fowl.  Ah well, now we know.

Without a doubt, the duck was the jewel in the crown of our meal. Everybody got at least a taste, and as the birthday girl I ate the drumsticks. When I had my first bite I believe my first words were, “Oh my god, Honey! Mmm, oh my god.” Yes, sampling my Honey's cooking is a near tantric experience. 

How to describe this duck? It was moist and literally dripped juice when carved. The flesh was more tender than a kitten sleeping nestled in the palm of your hand. The glaze was a balanced combination of sweet, salty, and spicy that produced a pleasant tingle and complemented the meat rather than candying it. The result was glorious. Ah, my loves, and oh, my friends you will be moved when you taste this bird. You will swoon, you will weep, you will slap yo mama. Honey and I immediately agreed that we should make this dish more often.