MY FAVOURITE SATURDAY - COOKING, DINNER WITH FRIENDS

Just 6 of us for dinner tonight but was planning on spending some time at Joseph's regatta on Saturday, so had to plan something that was not too time consuming on the day.  Decided on SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS, have done these before but not for a  while. I had cut the recipe out of the NY Times many years ago, but cannot find it on the site so here it is:

• Combine 1 tsp each of ground allspice, dried thyme, ground cumin with
• 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger, ground cloved and grated nutmeg with
• 1 tsp crushed juniper berries

mix well and sprinkle over both sides of

• 8 duck legs

rub well into the flesh, place in dish large enough to hold them in one layer then sprinkle with

• 4 TSPS kosher salt

cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for 24 hours.
Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
Remove legs from dish and carefully wipe with Bounty to remove all salt.
Place skin side up in a 3 inch deep baking dish, in single layer.  Add:

• 1 Bayleaf
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled but whole

Cover tightly with foil and cook for 2.5 - 3 hours.
Remove from pan, can be made ahead to this point.
Pre heat broiler, place legs on rack in roasting pan and broil about 10 inches away from element for about 5 minutes, til skin crisps and they are heated through.  Couple of notes: I had fresh thyme so used that, sprinkled on the leaves just before baking; I did not have juniper berries so simply left them out, interested to see how it could be even better with them! I always use the full 3 hours but you have to be careful as you take them out of the pan as the meat is literally falling off the bone. I use a spatula and put them straight onto the rack that they will go under the broiler on.



I served this with a green pepper Risotto, taken from a wonderful book I was given years ago:
Risotto by Judith Barrett and Norma Wasserman

I chose this particular risotto because it is not too rich, has no cream in it. The pairing worked well, and I enjoy having the girls in the kitchen stirring risotto, just before we sit down to eat. Our meal was completed by a delicious salad, provided by Charlotte, of mache, endive, roasted beets and pecans, dressed with a blood orange vinaigrette, perfect accompaniment to rich and fatty duck!

Finished the evening with some delicious cheese and the Lemon Curd Pavlova that I made many times before.  I did the meringue and lemon curd the previous evening, then put it together just before serving.  Alan had done the shopping and picked up raspberries instead of blueberries by mistake, but it turned out to be a happy accident, it was a little different, looked and tasted great!  In fact I just had a leftover slice as I was writing this!

WELCOME HOME CHELSEY DINNER!

Always pressure when cooking for the chef, Dave. Self imposed, of course, he is always very complimentary and appreciative. So, time to reach for the tried and tested, a few simple ingredients found in Ligurian Braised Chicken. Cut this out of NY Times Dining In/Out a few years ago and have enjoyed it often. Another advantage was I could pre-cook on Sunday as I was working on Tuesday the day they arrived. It was good, served with SMASHED NEW POTATOES and roasted green and yelllow squash. Not bad, Dave had seconds and the left overs for lunch the next day - clearly it was edible! Dessert was a Pavlova variation that I found in this month's Gourmet, Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Berries. Again, made the meringue and lemon curd on Sunday and put it together very quickly after dinner. It was great, not sure I will do a regular pavlova ever again! Finished the evening with some epoisse, we introduced Dave to this cheese and he is as big a fan as us.