Every year there exist 2 days which celebrate all things gluttony. Thanksgiving ranks #1 for sheer food consumption, and is indeed my favorite holiday, but the day of the National Football League Championship is a close numero dos and you don't usually have all those pesky vegetables to get in the way. (The title of said Championship is copyrighted and therefore cannot be used without permission. And since I am entirely promoting myself and in no way have an interest in waiting for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to get back to me on this, I'll be providing alternative descriptors that I hope catch on.) (And if this is successful, I'll have a go at the Mouse That Must Not Be Named and the Sort of Checkmark Logo for Shoes and Other Sports Apparel That Must Not Be Named.) (And as a third aside, unrelated except that it points to the remarkable nature of "ownership," everyone in the world will have to change our email accounts or pay royalties.)
As you may recall from last year, we went to a new Super Concave Vessel Party . Like Moses going to the Promised Land, we journeyed for what seemed like 40 days, and then came upon a land of plenty, complete with mana falling from Heaven (funny story, our hostess actually did drop a key lime pie from her heavenly hands, so to compensate she made two more pies by halftime). Joy filled our hearts and taste buds. But we had no idea of what to expect and as a result we were not prepared.
So this year things have changed. We are still driving for forever (it's worth it), but for this Uber Bowl Party I'm making Duck Sliders and wearing expandable pants.
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Post §ยบ¤ Bowl Party: Green Bay has won, Cheeseheads celebrate in snow-covered streets and I am once again uncomfortable with how much I had to eat. The generosity of our hosts continues, as you can see from the pictures below. But the Duck Sliders were well received.
Duck Sliders
1 large Duck (Pekin is preferrable)
1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
For the Brine:
approximately 1 1/2 gallons of Water3 cups Salt
1 California Bay Leaf (or 2 Turkish Bay Leaves)
2 tablespoons each, Whole Cloves, Juniper Berries, Allspice, all lightly crushed
1 can of Cola
Combine the ingredients for the brine and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Rinse the duck thoroughly and submerge it in the brine. Let stand in a cold place (35 degrees), overnight.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the duck and rinse it well, inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Season with black pepper, inside and out.
Roast the duck on an elevated rack in a roasting pan for 1 hour. When the skin is crispy, pierce it with a sharp fork or point of a knife. Flip the duck in the rack and drain the liquids from inside the body cavity. Roast for another 2 hours. Prick the skin again, flip and drain, as before. Increase the heat to 400 degrees and roast for 30 minutes to crisp the skin (to aid in easy removal).
Let the duck cool completely and remove the skin. Tear the meat from the bones and shred by hand or with forks. Combine with a sauce of your choosing, heat and place in warmed and buttered dinner rolls or slider buns. Serve hot.
Homemade Duck Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Honey
all the containers of sauces that we collected from the Chinese food delivery we still had in the fridge
1/4 cup Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Cider Vinegar, as needed
Melt the butter in a saucepan set to medium high heat and add the honey, stiring constantly. Add the other sauces, stirring and tasting. If needed, add vinegar.
Stir until the flavors have combined.
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