Day 89: Roasted Duck

Menu:
Caneton Roti JC
(Roasted Duck)

Wild Rice ME

Cranberry Relish ME

Mushroom Stuffing ME

Baked Sweet Potato ME

My duck finally thawed today. I followed Julia's instructions to a tee and it turned out beautifully. While I do like turkey and chicken much better, the duck with the sauce over it wasn't bad at all. I just needed the sauce. The duck has a different flavor and I'm sure one has to acquire a taste for it. I'm simply not used to eating duck. I'd absolutely make it again though. The sauce was outstanding. It had a beef stock base with port wine and butter. I made it even more tasty by boiling down the beef stock with the orange sauce that came with the duck. Delicious.

The dressing I just made up as I went along. It was very moist and the mushrooms were still plump and flavorful when I pulled it out of the oven. The sweet potatoes always give a lot of color to the plate. Plus, I love the sweet brown sugar and cinnamon flavor with a meal like this. Also, since I don't generally eat bread this tastes much like a big ol' cinnamon bun. When I saw that the bird had turned out so nicely, I decided to put it on a platter I thought it would have a better presentation stuffed and with the rice around it. I've been buying organic long grain lately and like it much better. I just needed one more thing to make this meal have pizazz.

The cranberry relish was easy to make. I added roughly minced pecans to it just for the crunch. Before I placed it on the platter I put green leaf lettuce down and then put the relish on top. The bright color from the oranges was the perfect finishing touch. I put the platter of food in the middle of the table and Michael and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm extremely pleased with the way this meal turned out. I'm now enjoying a nice glass of port wine and ready to relax for the evening.

Facts:
Day 89 of 100 (I'm oh so close and oh so not doing 365 days.)

Pounds Lost: I'm just stuck. in 11 days I'm starting a raw food diet of sorts...maybe.
Pounds Gained: I'm just really really stuck. Fit For Life will fix that.
Happiness Level: 100% (Life is good, most days)
Missing My Kids: 100%
Cooking Enjoyment: 100% (Concise instructions were helpful.)
Eating Enjoyment: 100% (It was like a big dag gum feast.)
Meal Presentation: 100% (Probably the prettiest meal I have made so far.)