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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Frangelico Squares and More



This month for Blogger C.L.U.E. Society I was assigned a lovely blog called A Spoonful of Thyme.  I did my normal reading and printing pdf's of likely candidate recipes.  Pulled out the Excel spreadsheet where I keep our menus and tried to figure out what I was going to make.  I really wanted to make the Frangelico bars for Mandy and Nick's party.  But, the split pea soup and the ham, potato and cheese soup sounded really good.  Connie was voting for the risotto with the sun-dried tomatoes.  The spicy plum chicken sounded really good as did the chicken with mushrooms and lemons.   I can't leave out the roasted carrots with bourbon.  Or the meatballs.  Hmmmm.

Well, let's just say that that Kate's blog kind of overtook this Kate's Kitchen :-)  We had a lot of fun cooking from her blog the last couple of weeks.  And, we made some tremendous dishes.  Every last one of them was a make again.  But, I've got to tell you the Frangelico bar story first...

We have this friend named Lou.  Uncle Lou is his nickname.  He used to office in the same building we're in.  Rode the elevator with him enough times that we got to know him.  He ran a Congressional campaign for a guy who also became a friend.  And, he lives across the street from some folks named Jillian and Matt.  Yes, they've become friends too.  Now, Jillian and Matt's best buds have moved to Indy and have purchased a house right behind Jillian and Matt.  So, they had a housewarming party.  Now what you need to understand is that Uncle Lou is in shape.  He's a fitness fanatic.  He eats right.  He doesn't stand around stuffing his face with sweets.  Unless they're Frangelico bars.  I didn't count the number he ate.  And, if I had I wouldn't tell you because I know he's going to read this and I really do want to stay friends with him.  Let's just say that an extra hour or two in the gym wouldn't have been enough to work off the number he ate.  LOL.  Yes, my friends, they are that good. 

We have a saying in our house.  It goes like this, "This is terrible.  You won't like it.  I will have to eat it all so you don't have to worry about it."  Yes, I know it's a bald-faced lie but I do try it on occasion.  When it came to the Frangelico bars, Connie and I both tried it on each other!

Kate doesn't go into a lot of detail about herself so I don't have a lot to share.  But, she did tell one story to tell that had me laughing out loud.  How to store recipes.  Like most of us, she's pretty much tried every method known to mankind.  Right now they seem to be in a stack.  And, that's only one of the out loud giggles I had. Suffice to say that you really need to grab a cup of coffee, sit down and spend an hour or two getting acquainted with her blog.  Not only will you wind up with a bunch of fun recipes, you'll also be entertained!

Rather than type out each recipe here, I'm going to give you links to all the ones we tried.  And, below those links you'll find links to my other Blogger Clue friends recipes this month.  They're a bunch of fabulous cooks so I hope you'll be able to visit them.

 
Frangelico Bars - I made these exactly like the recipe.  They were one of the best bar cookies I've ever had.  A little like pecan pie bars but better!

 
Chicken with Mushrooms and Lemon Sauce - to save time here I cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips.  Then, I added about 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the sauce.  I think Connie would've licked the saucepan had I let him...
Bourbon Carrots - Amazing.  Instead of cayenne we used Emeril's.  So easy and had oodles of flavor.

 
Split Pea Soup - the best split pea soup I've ever had.  I had to cook the second set of split peas a bit longer to get them soft.  Next time I think I'm going to try adding a can of diced tomatoes. 
 

 
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Thighs - this one I really messed with the recipe.   Our grocery doesn't sell boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  So, I used skin on and crisped the heck out of the skin.  I thought I had plum jam in the pantry but couldn't find it so used  beach plum jam.  Loved the sauce!  Yes, I plopped Connie's ear of corn on my plate to carry it to the screened porch.

 
Risotto with Sun--Dried Tomatoes and Shrimp - risotto is our clean up the kitchen for two dish.  Once I got the hang of making it, it became our comfort food.  I had a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto that I wanted to use up.  Connie missed the chunks of tomatoes but I loved the flavor. 
 
 
Best Basic Meatballs - the question is Emeril's or Ina's?  I've made both this year and have loved both of them.  The technique for these is interesting with beef broth on the baking sheet.  The meatballs were super tender and moist.  Emeril's has a bit more zing with the Italian sausage so next time I'm combining his recipe and Ina's technique to see how it works.  Just another excuse for spaghetti and meatballs!
 
 
Tri-tip Sandwiches - Thus far, we've just had the tri-tip and the rest of the meat hasn't made it into sandwiches...  As a pot roast this was fabulous.  I loved the gravy with the beef consommé.  Yes, I did add a good glug of red wine...  I served it over half a baked potato with some cooked carrots and onions on the side.
 
 
Italian Wedding Soup - Thus far this is only the meatballs.  They are fabulous and I'm sure the rest of the soup will be equally fabulous!
 
 
 
Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread - WOW.  The best gingerbread I've ever had.  I always thought my great-grandmother's recipe couldn't be beaten.  It has been.  The complexity of this is amazing.  I served it to company and shared half of what was leftover.  I think that's getting served to a lunch group today...  Along side I served my great-grandmother's lemon sauce.  Perfection on a plate. 
 
Ok, now here's the list of the other blogs I hope you'll check out:


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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Arugula, Pear and Parmesan Salad



Sometimes the simplest recipes are indeed the best.  There are plenty of recipes (boeuf bourguignon, for example) that require hours of preparation and layer upon layer of flavors.  Then, there are others with a few ingredients and quick preparation that just can't be improved on.  Pear, parmesan and arugula salad is one of those. 

This month for Blogger C.L.U.E. Society, I was assigned Wendy's blog.  A Day in the Life on a Farm.  I love her intro:  "Two retired cops searching for peace and quiet find chaos and happiness."  Isn't that just the way life works?  Wendy and her husband, Frank, may be technically retired but it sure looks to me like they spend a LOT of time working on this farm of theirs. 

I've loved reading Wendy's blog since joining Blogger CLUE so was very excited to get her this month.  Our assignment was originally to be apples.  Turns out ONE apple is $6 in Japan.  So, we expanded to pears also.  Turns out some of our buddies didn't have either on their blog.  So, we wound up with fall fruit.  That meant I had a wealth of choices.  Thank you, Wendy! 

Even though we're not big dessert eaters, I started with the desserts.  Just for research, you know.  LOL.  Pumpkin spice bundt cake.  Pumpkin custard pie.  Caramel apple pretzels.  They all sounded SO good.  But, in the end I kept going back to the salad I'd found.  I was feeling guilty because it was so easy.  Then, I remembered the pickle dip.  Made for another group a few years ago.  Three ingredients and it's always the hit of the party.  Then, there's the fact that Connie LOVES pears.  Most fruit he grumbles about.  Not pears.  And, it's the perfect time of year to have them.  Ok, salad it was. 

We couldn't find any arugula anywhere so our trusty baby greens from Sam's had to stand in.  I missed the bit of pepperiness that the arugula would've provided.  But, I'll confess that had I not known the baby greens were a substitution, I'd have been 100% happy with my salad.  This was so easy to put together.  The flavors were fabulous.  And, the pears were the stars.  Not buried under dressing or cheese or something else.  They were the stars.  This is a perfect fall salad.




Here's where you can go meet Wendy and see this fabulous salad:  Arugula, Pear and Parmesan Salad.

Now, for some other fall fruit fun here are the links to my friends in Blogger C.L.U.E.:

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Tomato Sandwiches



I thought BLT's were my favorite summer sandwiches.  Not quite sure how to say this, but I was wrong.  I've found something better.  Unbelievable, I know.  But, so true.  So, what is it?

It's a mash up of three sandwiches.  First and foremost, the BLT.  Bacon, lettuce and tomato.  Second, James Beard's onion sandwiches.  Third the famous Spanish sandwich, the pan con tomate.  Thanks to Melissa Clark writing in the New York Times, we have my new favorite.

You see, for probably the second time since we started this whole moving adventure, I went to the grocery store.  Because I was the logical one to be packing and unpacking and putting away, Connie did all the errands.  ALL the errands.  Other than work, moving and the fun things we've done, I've not been out and about.  I was itching to actually go shopping.  Not something I thought I'd EVER say because, quite frankly, I don't like shopping.  Unless it's a garden center or a hardware store.  Well, or the cookbook section of a bookstore.  Then, I like shopping.  Tonight I had the option to stay home and work on all the stuff I'd brought home from the office.  Or head to Sam's with Connie.  Now, I'll admit, part of the reason I wanted to head out with him was to have time to actually work on a couple of upcoming charitable events.  We've volunteered to participate for the third time in The ARC of Indiana's annual cook-off.  And, we're hosting a friendraiser for Actor's Theatre of Indiana in a couple of months.  I wanted time to chat about both of those.  We got the ARC solved.  Our entry will be Boss Tweeds.  One of my favorite drinks. Ought to be fun. 

We got home pretty late.  I'd read this recipe in the last few days.  We had one lovely heirloom tomato left.  We had some bacon left.  And, some rye bread.  Not what the recipe called for but one of our favorites.  This would be perfect.  Connie brought the haul in, I put bacon in a skillet and started putting stuff away.  Just about the time that I stuffed the last thing into the freezer, the last piece of bacon came out of the skillet to be drained.  Show time!

Connie stood on the other side of the counter juggling the camera and handing me the appropriate ingredients in the appropriate order.  

So, let's take a second and go back thru these sandwiches.  BLT.  Bacon, lettuce and tomato.  With mayonnaise.  A classic.  pan con tomate.  Toasted bread, garlic rubbed on it, tomato crushed over it and salt sprinkled over it.  Last, but not least, James Beard's onion sandwich.  Bread, mayo, VERY thin slices of onion. 

Here's how you put them together:

Toast the bread
Rub both pieces with halved garlic cloves
Drizzle the bread (both pieces) with good extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle with kosher salt
Cut the ends off REALLY ripe tomatoes and smoosh those onto the bread
Slather on mayonnaise
Lay very thin slices of tomato on the bread
Top with very thin slices of sweet onion
Top that with cooked bacon (which, by the way, I sprinkled with garlic and freshly ground pepper as it cooked)
Top with the other piece of bread

This sandwich is messy.  No, it's MESSY.  It's also fabulous and worth every bit of messiness it generates.  Either count on washing your napkins afterward or use paper. 

Here's how it looked:








adapted from The New York Times

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Sunday, August 16, 2015

Crockpot Pizza

 
 


I made a mistake.  Something that yes, I know everyone does.  But, I still really hate it when I do so.  In this case while we were moving I wrote down the name of the blog I had for Blogger C.L.U.E. Society.  I wrote down the name of the blog that had ME, not the blog I had...  Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen was so very gracious about my goof.  She said not to worry and she was fine with being skipped this month.  But, I wasn't happy with her being skipped.  So, the first evening we were home I went hunting through her blog for something that'd Beat the Heat.  Let's see, a cool drink, ice cream or a crock pot meal.  I started with the crock pot meal knowing that our Sunday plans included starting to hang pictures at the new house.  That meant limited time to cook AND meant we'd be hot and sweaty and I wouldn't want to deal with the heat.  After getting sidetracked by loads of fabulous recipes that wouldn't beat the heat, I found this.  But, as soon as the weather cools down a bit I must go back and try the beer cheese soup with meatballs.  What a fabulous idea!!!  And, there's a meat lovers onion soup that sounds SOOO good.  And, bacon wrapped Hatch chilies.  Ok, now this one sounds so weird I've got to try it!!  Mexican chocolate cornbread.  How about bacon and fig bread pudding?  Kelli's blog is so much fun to read and she has a wealth of great recipes to choose from.  But, once I landed on crockpot pizza, I knew I had my recipe.  I left the page open and went to my chair to read the Journal and the Times.  Connie sat down at the computer.  OMG!  He says.  "Can we have this now?????  (Keep in mind it's WAY past dinner time.) Look at that cheesy goodness.  Oh, man does that ever look good.  Are you going to make this?  No, when are you going to make this?  I'll go to the store and get anything you need."

LOL, it was too late to be cooking Friday evening.  Saturday we spent at the office then over at the old house giving the new owners a tour of the yard.  We showed them all the edibles and pointed out some of the piggy plants that love to invade their neighbors space.  And, some that look awful this time of year but great in the spring.  They're very nice folks and will love the house as much as we did.  We dashed home from the old house and marinated pork tenderloin for Symphony on the Prairie.  Here's what I wrote on Facebook about the evening:

"Funny story of the day... We buy tix to Conner Prairie - table included. Connie sends out the email invitation. Folks sign up. He sends me a list and I send out the pitch-in list. Folks sign up. I don't pay any attention to how many are coming. He tells me ten. I dutifully pack ten sets of silverware, plates, wine glasses etc. I count noses right before we leave home. Ten GUESTS are coming. Connie has forgotten us! We throw two chairs in the car. I don't think about the plates etc. We get there and buy two more tickets. Get the table set up. Finagle Chris and Mark's spoons. Use a couple of bowls I'd brought for crackers in place of plates. Chris has a wine glass and Mark's drinking beer so we're good to go for wine glasses. Now, see the guy with the white hat and red shirt CLEAR at the end of the row??? That's Connie in our seats. I'm standing at the table with all of our guests..."

Yup, true story. 

Sunday we headed to the office pretty early.  Home very early for us, about 2:30.  We'd unpacked most of the boxes of pictures.  I did most of the rest while Connie worked on laundry.  Then, we started hanging.  Some just fit and I knew exactly where I wanted them.  Some are still floating around the house looking for their best spot.  About 5:00 I headed to the kitchen.  I'd pulled two pizza recipes I wanted to try:  caramelized onion and gorgonzola for one, tomato and eggplant for the other.

Kelli's recipe called for putting the parchment paper in the crock pot to start with.  That didn't work very well for me.  So, I laid it on the counter and worked back and forth until it'd fit.  Then, I topped it while it was on the counter.  The other, well we were out of parchment paper so it went commando.  

What did we think?  What a great way to make pizza!  We loved the toppings.  Poor Kelli, who is married to Mr. PIcky Eater, probably wouldn't have had a happy hubby with all of the funky flavors we had going on!  She used a regular pizza sauce and more traditional toppings.  So, now we know this pizza can be as traditional or as weird as you want and it still works.  Thanks Kelli! 

Here's how to go visit Kelli: http://kelliskitchen.org/2014/11/crock-pot-pizza/

Crock Pot Pizza

Ingredients:

Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough


For the caramelized onion gorgonzola pizza:
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
2 large sweet onions
2 T butter
2 T brown sugar
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
shredded mozzarella cheese
3 oz gorgonzola cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
chopped kalamata olives

For the tomato eggplant pizza:
dried basil
dried oregano
crushed dried rosemary
roasted garlic, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
eggplant slices (about 1/8" thick, I used six but it'll depend on the size of the eggplant.  Start with the top of the eggplant)
shredded mozzarella cheese
smoked goat cheese (regular will be fine)
shredded parmesan
chopped green olives
sliced pickled garlic

Directions:

For the crust:

Take a paper towel and schmear some olive oil on the parchment paper.  Cut the pizza dough in half unless you have a mongo crock pot.  Give up on having a round pizza.  It's going to be kind of funky shaped but will taste fabulous.  Stretch the dough to fit your crockpot.

For the caramelized onion gorgonzola pizza:

Peel and thinly slice the onions.  Saute them in the butter and brown sugar for about 20 minutes or until they've caramelized.  Sprinkle the dough with the herbs and garlic.  Top that with the chopped tomatoes, then the onions.  Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella, then top that with the gorgonzola and parmesan.  Top everything with the olives, cover the crockpot and go put your feet up for two hours.  I know, doesn't that sound like a wonderful idea????  Dinner will be served!  Oh, wait, you have one more pizza to make...

For the tomato eggplant pizza:

Sprinkle the dough with the herbs.  Then, the roasted garlic.  If you don't have roasted garlic, use garlic powder.  Then, add the chopped tomatoes.  Top them with eggplant slices.  Make sure you fully cover the tomatoes with the eggplant.  Then, top the eggplant with shredded mozzarella, goat cheese and parmesan.  I used Queen Creek Olive Mill feta stuffed olives but plain old green olives will work just fine.  Or, you can omit the olives.  Ok, now it's time to put those tootsies up!

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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Blueberry Icebox Pie



Typically when it's time for Blogger C.L.U.E. Society I head to my assigned blog and spend a couple of hours poking around and seeing what all might work.  Then, I print (in pdf form) several recipes for Connie to take a look at.  Once we've talked about the pros and cons, I make a decision and make one or two of the recipes.  I usually have a fallback in the event I screw something up.  Like the epic brownie failure not so many months ago!  This time I typed in the url of Lora's blog and there it was.  My perfect recipe.  Blueberry Icebox Pie.  Oh, yeah.  How perfect is that.  The theme this month is Beat the Heat.  We love blueberries.  The photo of the pie had me licking my lips.  I didn't even ask Connie what he thought.  I just put graham crackers and blueberries on the grocery list!

Then, I just had to go back to Lora's blog and poke around a bit.  I'm totally in awe of Lora.  She is a baker extraordinaire.  And, she can cook like all get out.  She has a couple of soups that I'm just waiting for cooler weather to try.  Lentil with caramelized onion and Kale and Chickpea with Garlic Crostini.  Don't those conjure up a lovely fall day?  There's a no-knead olive bread that even this non-baker could probably tackle.  Ahhh, I can only wish I could bake half as well as Lora...  Hopefully, someday when we get to Florida I can meet her and sample some goodies!!!  I'm thinking sampling is a great excuse to go NOW - LOL. 

So, the recipe.  It's super simple.  And, Connie who tends to tolerate sweets, has actually ASKED for more of this.  I think that's the first time ever with a sweet.  He likens it to frozen blueberry yogurt.  Please don't tell him they sell frozen yogurt and it's similar to ice cream.  He thinks he doesn't like ice cream.  So, we'll keep this our secret, ok?

Blueberry Icebox Pie

Ingredients:

for the Crust:

12 full size graham crackers
1/4 c sugar
6 T vegetable oil (olive oil if you're being very healthy or melted butter if you're being decadent)


for the filling:

1 c fresh or frozen blueberries plus a few to decorate the top
1 T sugar
2 T Grand Marnier or Limoncello
1 c heavy cream
1 T confectioner's sugar
1 c vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  While that is heating, give the graham crackers a whir in your food processor until you've got crumbs.  Mix the crumbs with the sugar and oil.  Press the mixture into a 9" pie plate.  Bake it for 8-10 minutes or until it's nice and brown.

Remove the crust from the oven and set it aside to cool.  Rinse the processor.  Now, you'll give the blueberries a whir.  Before you do so, mix them with the sugar and the liquor.  Pour the blueberry mixture into a large bowl.  Whip the cream.  (I'm with Lora here.  Real cream.  Whipped yourself.  Makes all the difference in the world.)  Slowly add the confectioners sugar until you've got peaks on the cream.  As Lora notes, whip too much and you've got butter.  Gently scrape the whipped cream onto the blueberry mixture.  Now, gently fold them together.  Equally gently, add the yogurt.  Spoon the mixture into the cooled crust.  Decorate with blueberries and pop this into the freezer overnight. 

Now, I'd love for you to visit Lora's blog and see the recipe there.  Here's the link:  Blueberry Icebox Pie.  And, my fellow bloggers have some other fun Beat the Heat treats.  You'll find their blogs below.  Happy Eating!




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Sunday, August 9, 2015

Emeril's Big Boy Meatballs and Mascarpone, Honey, Pistachio and Orange Tart




Let's start with the two new recipes from the party.  Emeril's Big Boy Meatballs and Spaghetti is up first.  My new favorite meatballs.  I doubled the recipe hoping that there would be leftovers.  There were.  They are in the freezer for some evening that I can't escape the office at a reasonable hour.  I just love it when I find THE recipe for something.  Not only were the meatballs fabulous, so was the red sauce.  As with almost any red sauce, this was better after allowing it to sit in the fridge overnight. 

Next up is an amazing tart.  I'm already looking for another excuse to make this awesome recipe.  There's a get-together or two brewing for the crew from Chef Joseph's so it'll make an appearance at one of them.  My original intent was to make an olive oil shortcake with an orange mascarpone filling.  Then, I made the kiwi, mango, coconut tart for Weekend in a French Kitchen.  The crust recipe had one egg in it and made two crusts.  I needed to use up that second crust on company so that we didn't eat the whole whatever.  On to Epicurious I went.  There I found a Bon Appetit recipe that was exactly what I was looking for - using mascarpone and oranges.  The crust kind of looked like one of those ransom notes created by cutting out letters and pasting the mishmash together.  But, since nobody was going to see it, not a problem.  Once the tart was done, it looked amazing.  Then, we ate it.  Oh, la, la.  And, that's from someone who doesn't have a big sweet tooth. 

Emeril's Big Boy Meatballs and Spaghetti



Ingredients:

4 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces (I used Pepperidge Farms)
3/4 c buttermilk
1 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage removed from its casings
2 oz  Parmagiano Reggiano cheese finely grated (about 1/2 c)
2 T minced fresh parsley
1/4 c minced garlic (about 12 cloves) (this is supposed to be split between the sauce and meatballs, I missed that and think maybe that's why these meatballs were so incredible!)
3/4 t salt
3/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3 T olive oil
2 c chopped yellow onion
1 t crushed red pepper
3/4 c dry red wine
28 oz can tomato puree
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 bay laves
1 1/2 c water
1/3 c chopped fresh basil leaves
1 t chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 T evaporated milk
1 pound dried spaghetti, cooked til al dente

Directions:

Put the white bread and buttermilk in a bowl and allow it to soak for 10 minutes.  Mash them together to form a paste (panade.)  Mix the panade, beef, sausage, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. 



Mix them well but don't over mix. Form into 1/2 c meatballs.  Put them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the meatballs to firm up. 



Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Brown the meatballs in two batches so they're not crowded.  Remove them to a paper towel lined plate.  Add the onions and crushed red pepper to the oil and sauté until the onions are softened.  If you're splitting the garlic or adding more, add it for a few minutes here to allow the flavors to bloom.  Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half before you add anything else.  Add the tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, water, basil and oregano. Add the meatballs back in and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the meatballs are floating in the sauce.  If you feel the sauce is too acidic, you can add the evaporated milk. 

Mascarpone Tart with Honey, Oranges and Pistachios



Ingredients:

1 pie crust or pate sable
2 large navel oranges (or 4 mandarin oranges, like I used)
1 8 to 8.8 oz container chilled mascarpone cheese
1/2 c chilled heavy whipping cream
1/4 c sugar
2 T honey, divided
1/4 t (generous) ground cardamom
2 T chopped pistachios

Directions:

The actual recipe calls for using a tart pan with a removable bottom.  I did not do so and had no problems removing the pieces.  Preheat your oven to 400F.  Press the dough into the tart pan.  Prick it all over with a fork.  Bake it for about 20 minutes or until it's golden brown. 

While the crust is baking, you can prep the oranges.  Start by zesting them to get at least 1 1/4 t of zest.  The navel oranges can be peeled and cut into circles.

Remove the tart crust from the oven and set it aside to cool.  Once it's cool, you can start prepping the filling.  If you mix the filling for too long, it will curdle.  You're aiming for smooth here.  Using an electric mixer, mix the mascarpone, whipping cream, 1 T of the honey, the orange zest and the cardamom.  Evenly spread the filling into the cooled crust.  Top the filling with either concentric circles of orange or as I did, with orange pieces...  Then, drizzle with the other 1 T of honey.  Sprinkle the pistachios over the top.  Serve that day. 

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Grapevine Smoked Duck Breasts with Peaches




Sometimes the most simple recipes are the most amazing.  Take this weekend's recipe from Mimi.  Smoked duck breasts with peaches.  Cross hatch the fatty side of the duck breasts, rub them with salt and pepper.  Put them in a hot skillet fat side down to render some of the fat.  Smoke them over grapevines.  Saute peach halves in the duck fat.  Super simple and totally incredible.  These duck breasts were perfect on their own.  They will be amazing in many different preparations.  Like a few slices on top of risotto.  Or, on a salad.  Or, in a sandwich.  Or on pizza.

I will say that my thermometer for the grill died a couple of months ago.  I bought what I thought was a replacement but this one isn't supposed to be used on the grill.  So, it was either guess or keep poking.  I guessed.  And, I guessed too early.  So, once we cut into our duck and it was a bit too rare for us, I sliced the breasts and brought them to the right temp in the bit of peach flavored duck fat that was still sitting in the skillet.  I'll probably use the same technique next time because we liked how evenly done the breasts were. 

Here's how it came together:





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