It wasn't until I stumbled into the duck idea that the day had anything resembling focus, anything resembling purpose. Now I can safely say, this is the day the duck hath made. The 6.5 lb. Long Island Duckling is in the oven now doing the second hour of the 300º four hour roast. The first hour is spent breast side up, the second breast side down and so on for four cycles. At the end of the four hours you "blast" the duck with 400º to extra crisp the skin and add a glaze.
As the web site that is nursing me through my delicate maiden duck voyage suggested, I fried the duck liver in butter, garlic, salt and pepper tossed it in the food processor and Nicole and I ate it on some toasted Arnolds bread for a snack. Since that very positive experience, I'm a little giddy with pate possibilities...
I took the extra fat that I trimmed off of the bird and rendered it for later use with the mashed rutabaga. Not sure that I did it correctly in that the web site is a little unspecific about amounts.... though I sort of like that.
Kitchen timer just went off. We are turned breast side up again now and into the third cycle. Duncan ran into the kitchen as I was 'flipping the bird" and we had a talk about the duck which he suggested was chicken.
I said "No. It's a duck."
He said, "What's a duck?"
I said, "You know what a duck is, it's a bird."
He said, "Oh. This is a duck?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
I wasn't sure how far to pursue this - the ducks that we've seen at the pond by Flood Hill, the Click Clack Moo duck, I sure as hell didn't want to bring up Donald. Duncan had a bit of a weep last summer when the grilled peppers and sauteed carrots we picked from our garden made their way to the table.
"They were my friends." He wept. So I didn't want to press the duck issue, best to get it into his four year old tummy first and save the moral dilemmas for another day.
Having never bought a duck before, wasn't sure how much they cost. I went to the Whole Foods, thinking that's where the duck would be, armed with the fifty dollar bill the Roundabout Theater company gave me yesterday. I was asked to do a fancy reading of a Kaufman and Hart play in the fancy new Henry Miller theater with many fancy folks: at least three Tony winners, two Oscar winners, and even a Pulitzer prize winner all in one reading. While it all passed pleasantly enough at the time, I woke up at around 4:30 AM feeling generally.... less than. Promptly at 7:00 AM When Duncan and I did the morning breakfast routine of bagels and eggs, with me breaking a glass even before coffee and forgetting that it was Tuesday and that means garbage and doing that Dad cursing under his breath thing I do as I dragged the can to the curb in my slippers..... I needed something. This day was headed down and taking me with it.
It wasn't until I was sitting in the glider next to Shaw's crib and glancing at the copy of Julie and Julia my mother in law left here a couple of weeks ago and simultaneously getting Shaw to nap....that the day's savior appeared...
"We're having Duck!"
I took the Roundabout fifty to Whole Foods and found nary a duck. Have to say.... Whole Foods doesn't always come through with what I'm looking for. Whole Foods always has something I didn't think of, like Lacinto kale, but quite often not what I went there for. Today that was duck. Whole Foods did have rutabaga and some French rolls. But the duck was bought at Eden Gourmet. The Whole Foods bill was roughly $20, the Eden Gourmet duck came in @ $32. It seemed well.... fated? Ordained? A charming coincidence? In any case, I read a Kaufman and Hart Play at the Henry Miller Theater last night and on their sweet $50 we eat duck tonight!
CREAMED RUTABAGA
3 large Rutabaga chopped into 2 inch dice
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Tbs. Butter
4 to 5 Shallots thinly sliced
salt and pepper to tasted
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup
Pecorino Romano
2 Tbs. duck fat
Fill large stockpot with salted water and heat to boiling. Add rutabaga and cook until fork tender roughly 20 to 25 minutes.
Heat Oil and Butter in meduim sauce pan over medium high heat. Add shallots when butter is melted and cook until shallots are soft (3 minutes). Add salt, pepper and sugar. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring often until light mahogany brown.
Drain rutabaga in colander. Add rutabaga, shallot, Pecorino Romano and duck fat to food processor. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.
MIXED GREENS
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 c. chicken stock
4 bunches of even parts Collard, Kale, Mustard or Turnip greens cut into 2 inch ribbon.
Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan over high heat. Add garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant (30 sec. to 1 minute). Add stock and bring to boil. Add greens in batches until fully wilted. Cover, and reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
ROAST DUCK
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