A Midnight Christmas Eve Feast

Friday was such a nice day. We're getting down to the final countdown to the big day, and most everything is done now. Still a fair amount of wrapping to do, but the good news is that we don't need to have some of it wrapped until New Years' weekend. I love being allowed to procrastinate even longer.

I started reading a gigantic novel series all over again, the 'Outlander' books by Diana Gabaldon. I put the latest installment on my Christmas list, and in order to have any clue what is going on in that book if I do end up getting to read this soon, I really need to read the first 5 books again. Not too terrible a chore. I enjoyed them so much the first time. I'm always happy when I'm reading a good book. No matter what else is going on, as long as I have that 20 minutes (or more!) or reading to look forward to at bedtime, or during any other stolen pieces of time during the day, life is still good.

So after I'd done a pile of gift wrapping, I took 'Outlander' into the bathroom with me and filled up the bathtub with Creme de Menthe bubble bath and settled in for a nice long, pruny hour or so. Then I went to bed.

Tim and I didn't set any alarms or set any schedule whatsoever for the evening. I had done no prep work at all for our feast, which would have saved some time. But I told myself not to worry about it, we'd do it all that night. I had the night off as a holiday, and so did he. So we totally enjoyed sleeping in until 10pm or so, then got up to start our Christmas Eve feast. Yes, we had it a day early, but it was much better being able to cook at our leisure (and be able to have wine!) and not have to be constantly watching the clock in order to leave for work on time. I do have to work tonight (the 24th). But we have a potluck feast scheduled at work. More on that later.

On our menu:

Duck with Cranberry Mostaza
Roasted Broccoli with Brazil-Nut Pesto
Smashed White Root Vegetables
Grape, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Salad

Chocolate Fruitcake

Wines:

Charles Shaw ('Two Buck Chuck') Chardonnay
2000 Augey Bourdeaux
2003 Wyncroft Pinot Noir (a big thank you to Putnam at Cloverleaf for providing the means to get hold of this)

This was a meal full of assertive flavors from beginning to end. Not for the faint-hearted. But it was wonderful sitting down to it at 1am when everything was done. And 4 of the dishes were new for us, as were two of the wines. We've never cooked duck before. I wish duck breasts didn't cost the earth, they are sooo good. Like a juicy beef tenderloin. I don't know why it's so hard to come by in the stores. Michigan is overrun with wild ducks. Guess we need to get friendly with a duck hunter.

The broccoli dish was a pleasant surprise also. I was challenged by a coworker (Brooke) to try it after I made some kind of disparaging comment about two harsh-tasting things coming together in one recipe. Brazil nuts are always the ones left behind in a mixed nut bowl because they have that...well, you know, that Brazil nut taste. But the ones we picked up at Jungle Jim's were so mild they were wonderful. And the dish turned out to be great.

It seems we must have still been tired even after all that sleep. I couldn't keep my eyes open, and by 3am or so, I was ready for bed again. Too much wine maybe? I really didn't think I'd had that much!

Anyway, here are the recipes:

Duck with Cranberry Mostaza

From Food & Wine online (we skipped the endives, but they look good)

3/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup sugar
1 large bay leaf
1 bag cranberries (12 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 12 ounce duck breasts
vegetable oil
2 large endives, quartered lengthwise

1. In a saucepan, combine the wine, sugar and bay leaf and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until syrupy, about 9 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook until they begin to break down, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard, then whisk the mixture into the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy skillet until very hot. Lightly rub the duck skin with vegetable oil and add the breasts to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderately low heat until the skin is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. As the fat renders, spoon it into a heat proof bowl. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper, turn them and cook over moderately low heat until browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Transfer the duck to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved duck fat to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the quartered endives, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally until softened and golden, about 6 minutes. Slice the duck breasts and transfer to plates. Serve the duck with the quartered endives and cranberry mostaza.

Any suggestions as to what to do with the leftover duck fat? We had decadent ideas come to mind having to do with potatoes...

Roasted Broccoli with Brazil-Nut Pesto

(also from Food & Wine online)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup Brazil nuts, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground peppter
2 1/2 pounds broccoli, large stems discarded, cut into 4 inch long florets

1. Preheat the oven to 500F. In a mini food processor, combine the parsley with the Brazil nuts, water, tarragon, garlic and lemon zest and pulse to a coarse paste. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the Parmesan and process to a slightly smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper

2. On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, toss the broccoli florets with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and spread in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the broccoli in the center of the oven for 8 minutes. Switch baking sheets and continue to roast for about 8 minutes longer, or until the broccoli is browned and crisp-tender. Transfer the broccoli to a platter, drizzle the pesto on top and serve.

The Tarragon Grape Goat Cheese Salad is a Jamie Oliver recipe:

2 banana shallots, or 6 normal-sized ones, peeled and very finely sliced
a good vinegar (champagne, white wine or sherry vinegar)
4 large handfuls of fresh tarragon leaves, picked over
1 small bunch seedless red grapes, halved
1 small bunch seedless green grapes, halved
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g good goat cheese, or hard salted ricotta

Method:

The first job is to put the finely sliced shallots and the vinegar together in a dish, making sure the shallots are all covered by the vinegar. If the shallot slices are nice and thin they will need only about 10-15 minutes in the vinegar for the desired effect. They will be just like crunchy pickled onions when they're done.

Keep all the ingredients in the fridge until your guests are around the table. Crack open a bottle of crisp white wine for them, and get started. Throw the tarragon leaves into a bowl, add the grapes, the shallots with only 5 tablespoons of their vinegar, and the olive oil. Toss this all together, taste it, and add a little seasoning if it's needed. Go easy on the salt though, as the cheese will be quite salty. Use some tongs to pick up the salad and divide it between 4 plates. Grate or crumble the goat cheese on top of each salad and drizzle over any leftover dressing. You'll love it!

Smashed White Root Vegetables

(my own creation)

Scrub 5 pounds small Idaho potatoes. Peel about 6 parsnips. Cut potatoes (leave the skin on) and parsnips into small pieces and nuke in the microwave until tender. This will take several batches. When the vegetables are tender, toss them into a large roasting pan that has been well oiled with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven until they start to get some golden brown color on some of the pieces, about 20 minutes to a half hour. Remove from oven and place in a large heat proof bowl. Toss in one 8 ounce block of cream cheese and about 4 ounces of purchased prepared horseradish. Get a hand mixer and start adding buttermilk and milk, and blend until you have a rustic lumpy mashed potato mixture. Add about 4 ounces of heavy cream and keep blending/smashing until you have the desired consistency, adding buttermilk and adjusting salt and pepper as needed.

The leftovers are awesome shaped into patties and fried in a skillet with a little butter over the next few days...

The chocolate fruitcake is also my creation, but that's the one recipe I won't share. I feel weirdly proprietary about that one.