Oh, speaking of duck breasts starting in a cold pan...
I was torn between two options for my NYE dinner.
As you'd expect I began with a repeat of the Christmas pâte de maison which is now at its absolute best having ripened for a week. I am not a huge sparkling wine fan so would not waste a fine Champagne without guests who would appreciate it more than I. Still, being a celebratory evening, I instead opted for a glass or two of a Crémant de Loire with the starter. Oh, and I want to add that the olives on the starter plate - I grew and cured those. It's a fun experiment and I hope in a year or two to have enough to make it a worthwhile addition to the pantry.
Following came duck. In fact I doubled-down on duck and roasted a breast with soy and honey and did a faux confit cuisse. Served with pommes dauphinois (with no cheese, damn it), and blackened haricot vert with shallot rings and a nice little Bordeaux to accompany it.
Finally, a fresh pineapple and spiced rum brioche bread pudding. I wasn't going to make dessert but I had stale brioche and the tiny Victoria Pineapples from the l'île de La Réunion smelled so good at the produce market that I had to do something…
Happy, Merry, bah-whatever to all of you.
