Facts recently discovered here at Christmas time:
- You can't make short-cuts when it comes to peppermint bark.
- Sometimes laughing too hard can get one into some hot water.
- Old friends really are the best kind.
- Ski when it snows, skate when it's cold, nap when you're sleepy.
After weeks of knitting, cooking, painting, sewing, wrapping, and fun party going/hosting, my favorite part of the season has arrived. There is nothing left but to let go of the things that didn't get done, forget that which was forgotten and revel in the joy.
Walks in the snow, new books by the fire, sketches of spring dream gardens, tea with gingersnaps, and a family screening of Rango all sound just about right.
We are stretching the days out long and slow.
We are lollygagging.
Slow-Roasted Christmas Duck. Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook
- 2 (5lb) ducks, rinsed and patted dry
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 3/4 lb carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-2-inch chunks
- 3/4 lb turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
- 3/4 lb beets, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 shallots, unpeeled, halved
1. CRISP THE DUCKS ON HIGH: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place birds in a large casserole or medium roasting pan. Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper and then place 2 pieces each of thyme, garlic, carrots, turnips, beets, and shallots into each cavity. Using kitchen string, truss the birds (tie the tips of the legs together and tuck the wings behind the bird). Scatter the rest of the ingredients around the duck and then cover the duck with foil. Roast 10 minutes.
2. SLOW ROAST AT 300: Lower the temperature to 300. Roast for 3 1/2 hours, basting the vegetables and duck with the pan juices occasionally.
3. REMOVE VEGETABLES AND FINISH ROASTING THE DUCK: Remove the vegetables from the pan and place in a small baking dish. Set aside. Leaving the foil off, place duck back into the oven and roast until the skin is golden and crisp and the meat is practically falling off the bone, about 1 hour.
4. CARVE THE DUCK AND WARM THE ROOTS: Put the roots in the oven to warm while you carve the duck and make an easy sauce from the pan juices. Place the duck on a cutting board. Skim as much fat as possible from the pan juices and reserve for freezing later. You want about 1/2 cup of juice in your pan. Add water to the pan until you get it. Bring juices to a boil, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon as you do. Add salt and pepper to taste. At his point, you can either leave the sauce in the roasting pan and serve everything from there, or pour it onto a serving platter to take to the table. Now you need to carve the duck. The meat will be falling off the bone so don’t worry that it is not tidy.
5. SERVE: Place the vegetables from the ducks’ cavity back into the pan along with the carved duck meat and the warmed vegetables from the oven. Serve duck with pan juices and vegetables.
Serves 6
Asian Inspired Cranberry Sauce
- ½ cup orange juice, or tangerine juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup cranberry juice
- 1 cup honey, maple syrup, or sugar
- 4 cups cranberries
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 wholes star anise, pods
- ½ teaspoon chinese 5 spice
- Combine the orange juice, cranberry juice, honey and star anise, in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring up to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the honey is incorporated, add the cranberries, half of the red wine and the Chinese 5 spice.
- Simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries have popped and incorporated into a thickened sauce. Stir in the rest of the red wine. Taste. Add a pinch more Chinese 5 spice if desired. Remove the Star Anise.
Serves 8
"Best Salad Evah"
- bunch of farmer's market salad greens
- celeriac shredded
- pea shoots chopped
- 2 navel oranges peeled and sliced
- asian vinaigrette * see below
- gomasio
- Assemble salad on a plate
- drizzle with vinaigrette
- sprinkle with gomasio
*Asian Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- teaspoon shredded fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Place all in a jar and shake, shake, shake.
And one more fact:
- After all these years, Talking Heads is still the best family clean up music! Still.
