I am kicking off my food blog with the dish I made for Thanksgiving even though Thanksgiving is only a memory now, and we are all gearing for Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  But I thought this duck dish would be very good for any special occasions, and pretty easy to make, too.

Since I am not a big fan of turkey (too damn unwieldy and bland), I try to get out making turkey every year, and this year I decided to stick to the poultry theme and make a duck dish, especially since I love duck (that is to eat).  I could eat duck confit everyday if money and health were not an issue (details, details…).  As it turned out, I got sick on Thanksgiving day with wicked stomach aches, so I ended up making this as a Sunday dinner.

Anyway, to get back to the duck.  The recipe is from Gourmet magazine, October, 2008 issue (available online on epicurious.com).  I found demi-glace concentrate called More Than Gourmet Demi-Glace Gold on FreshDirect that was much more affordable than other places, but of course if you make your own, more power to you.  Duck breasts are actually really easy to roast.  The trick is to preheat the roasting pan really hot, and broil the fat out to finish it off.  More complicated part was the sauce, classic French style sauce starting with pan drippings and shallots and deglazed with raspberry vinegar, demi-glace and finished off with a pat of butter and fresh raspberries.  I chose roasted potatoes and two kind of beans to accompany it, but I think sauteed spinach or other greens might have been better.  Portion-wise, this was way too much for one person, and I only ended up eating half.  Cold duck breast were very good in a salad next day. 🙂