The Christmas duck (photo by Craig Giesecke)
Craig Giesecke
As mentioned in the last column, I opted to go with smoked duck for our Christmas dinner this time around. Honestly, a month’s worth of dealing with turkey and ham every day at work made the idea of doing either of those rather unappealing. I also deal with a fair amount of things like eye of round, so I wanted to do something that would absorb a little more flavor from the outside. There are only three of us in the house, so doing something large like a goose was never really on the radar.
I thought about brining the duck – something I’d normally do with a turkey. But instead, I rubbed it with some olive oil, salt and pepper and some bouquet garni my daughter brought me back from Paris years ago. I let the duck smoke for about 7 hours in a roasting pan, to save the drippings, at a little over 200 degrees. I had stuffed it with a whole onion and about two dozen garlic cloves.
Kim made your classic green bean casserole, so I roasted some red potatoes in butter and scraped plenty of whole nutmeg across the top. Then I used the drippings from the duck, along with the mushy onion and garlic stuffing, in a food processor to make a base for some gravy. The duck was a little drier than I wanted, thanks largely to my being diverted by a Facebook discussion with some friends. I’ll keep a closer eye on it next time, but things still turned out very nicely.
One of the several nice surprises about our holiday was my accidental purchase of what was labeled “sweet red wine.” I had intended to get two bottles of Cabernet, but failed to look closely at both bottles before I’d paid and gotten home late Christmas Eve afternoon. I’m not normally a sweet red drinker, since most taste too much like cherry cough syrup. But I was pleasantly surprised this time. If you’re not a fan of dry, beefy reds, this could be a good option.
…so now attention turns to what’s up for New Year’s Eve. Kim and I, as veteran parents, have long since abandoned the idea of going out and, since I’ve normally had to work on New Year’s Day anyway, it has been years since we’ve stayed up to actually see midnight (as much as the fireworks in the neighborhood try to divert us). From the second floor of our house, we can see any fireworks displays on the river anyway. I think the last time we ventured out to party on New Year’s Eve was the one after Katrina – but the fog was so thick one couldn’t see the top of the Jax Brewery while standing on the edge of Jackson Square.
I’ve been blessed in this life in many ways, not the least of which is not having the Hangover Gene. Seriously – I have never had a hangover, and it has nothing to do with carefully watching what and how I drink. Because I really don’t. I usually don’t mix liquors over the course of an evening and I stay away from certain ones like tequila, gin and vodka. But I suppose genetics have a lot to do with it too. I’m reminded how lucky I am when I show up at work on New Year’s Day and there are always some co-workers trying to bluster through while enduring the headaches and the dry heaves, if they actually show up at all. No thank you.
If you’re like us, you’ve already got a pretty good idea of your various plans during Carnival over the coming several weeks. I know I’ll be using the smoker a bit more than in the past, just to keep some ready food on hand when friends and family drop in before and after the parades.
Wow. Carnival is nearly here again. I love it.
Craig Giesecke has been a broadcaster and journalist for over 30 years, including nearly two decades at the AP and UPI covering news, sports, politics, food and travel. He has been the owner of J’anita’s for five years, serving well-reviewed upscale bar food and other dishes. Comments are encouraged and welcomed.
