#107 - Mom's birthday dinner (What a wonderful world)

It's been a little while since I cooked anything worth posting but it was my Mom's birthday last night.  A bit of a rush since I made dinner after work but it's all in the preparation - last minute sauce but mise-en-place done before and/or most of the major cooking, which means the only things I actually had to do was make the sauce, reheat and flash the duck, supreme the orange, re-heat the broccoli, toast the almonds and plate.  Easy 60 minutes (only because the sauce takes a while).

Happy birthday Mom!
The result was a group effort - Dad made salad to which I added a few bits and pieces (roasting the almonds took the longest, surprisingly enough), Mom made the rice and I did the duck, sauce and veggies.

And I found out why you trim the duck's legs before you cook it.  Trying to trim them after - well, the bones shattered into pieces and the ugly end was still attached.  The confit leg may not have looked very pretty but apparently it tasted really good.  Frankly, I couldn't face eating any duck after smelling the duck fat while it was cooking.  Don't get me wrong, the duck fat actually smells really good but it's such a rich smell, all I wanted for dinner was a little rice and all veggies.

No madeira for the sauce.  Oddly enough, the liquor store / bottle shop didn't have madeira.   ("What?  No madeira?  What kind of bottle shop doesn't have madeira???")  They had port but I forgot it at home so I cheated - red wine and orange juice.  Substituted chicken stock for brown duck stock.  Yes, shock horror - but it all still tasted pretty good so happy faces around the table.

Dad's pretty salad to the right with cherry heirloom tomatoes - just right with the toasted almonds and vinaigrette.  The crisp greens were a perfect antidote to the duck fat smell.  I think I would have been happy just to eat salad and nothing else.  Why is it that there's so much pleasure in cooking but sometimes, the pleasure in the eating is just not there?

And then of course, dessert.  You can't have a birthday without dessert...but I didn't have time to make it so I bought it from the deli.  I have dessert guilt.  On the other hand, this was gluten free and my gluten free repertoire is (thus far) very limited.  Mousse, anyone?

 In any event, a lovely night with the parents and they got to eat something they don't cook at home and isn't necessarily on a restaurant menu.  Ah, Cordon Bleu was definitely not a waste, according to them.  A true pleasure for me to have more people who like to eat!

(I am off to pick up some dinner - yes, yes, cheating but all in a good cause - I don't cook Chinese food at home.)

So until next time, happy Mother's Day, happy eating and a very good night to you all!