Best Christmas Card

I just got best Christmas card from my nephew. Little bit late but hey, I am not complaining, this card has a duck quaking Jingle Bells! How cool is that? Turn the sound on and enjoy.

Vanilla Crescents - Czech Christmas Sweets

Vanilkové Rohlíčky

Vanila crescents is another item that is on every Czech Christmas table. If you don’t make them you just buy them, just like potato salad and open sandwiches (Obložené Chlebíčky) being other “must have“ for Christmas. It is a little bit tedious because of the time it takes to roll all these small crescents but it is well worth it. When you eat them they just melt in your mouth. Hmmm...No wonder, with all that butter!

 Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups sifted pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts

Confectioners' sugar 

Cream butter and add sugar then add egg, salt and vanilla extract.

Beat in the flour half the cup at the time, then add almonds and continue mixing until mixture becomes slightly stiff dough.

Shape dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two 12 x 15-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough, roll them into ½” thick round strips and shape into crescent shape.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown on the bottom.

While still warm, roll in confectioners' sugar or vanilla sugar. Let them cool and store in an airtight container.

These will keep several weeks. Dust with more vanilla sugar before serving.

All shaped and ready for the oven...

They are so brittle that you just can’t dump whole baking sheet into the sugar, they have to be coated one by one.

Duck Soup

Without doubt this must be most complicated version that I have ever came up with. This soup included 13 ingredients (in blue) and I have to count how many heat processes I’ve managed to use (roasting, simmering, boiling, sautéing). Let me count:

1)     I roasted the bones, necks and wings with root vegetables for 3 hours.

2)     I simmered the above for stock for another 3 hours and then I strained and degreased the stock and removed meat from necks, backs and wings.

3)     Boiled barley for 40 minutes and drained.

4)     Boiled wild rice at the same time in another pot for 55 minutes and drained.

5)     Sautéed sliced gizzards, hearts, shallots and cremini mushrooms in duck fat for 20 minutes.

6)     Returned the stock to simmer and added: Raw carrot, celeriac, leek, celery, garlic, wild rice, barley, sautéed shallots, gizzards, heart, mushrooms and duck meat.

So, it comes to six separate heat processes taking well over 7 hours over 2 days: 1 roasting, 2 simmers, 2 boils and 1 sauté.

What we ended up with was most incredible soup with every texture imaginable. Will do again next Christmas, for sure. It was well worth it.

Roasted Duck Legs with Red Cabbage and Dumplings

(Traditional Christmas Dinner)

As I noted in my previous blog this is perfect Christmas dinner for just two of us.

Since I had quite a few pieces of rendered skin from last night when I cut up the duck I used it as a bed form my legs so that the meat will not dry up. Both sides of legs were sprinkled with a bit of salt even though they were brined and about a tablespoon of crushed caraway seeds. Incredibly, there is no garlic. I covered the legs with parchment paper and then aluminum foil. The paper is there because the salt on duck would burn holes in aluminum if it comes into direct contact. I use it every time if aluminum foil would touch piece of salty food.

Duck is roasted similar way as pork roast but it takes only about 2-1/2  to 3 hours for meat to be off-the-bone tender and skin nicely golden and crisp.

First half hour in 375°F, then 350°F for 2 hours and back to 375°F for 15 - 30 minutes or till skin is golden. It is served with sautéed red cabbage (from jar J) and steamed dumplings.

  

Ready to be covered and roasted.

After 2 hours uncover and roast until golden brown.



Preparing and Deboning Duck (Christmas Dinner)

This is first step in preparing our Christmas dinner.

I used to roast whole duck for Christmas (goose is more traditional but for 2 people terrible waste) but lately I have realized, as I mentioned on Duck Breast blog, that by the time legs are tender the breasts are overcooked. There is no comparison whatsoever to chicken breast which needs lots of seasoning to taste anything whereas duck breast needs just salt and pepper.

Anyway, ducks are dressed, the bones are roasting for incredibly tasty duck soup and fat is being rendered in separate pan next to pan with bones at 350 °F for 3 hours. Tomorrow morning I’ll start the duck stock and in afternoon I’ll be roasting the duck legs and serve them with sautéed red cabbage and steamed dumplings.

Four legs will be brined overnight and roasted tomorrow and breasts will be vacuum packed and flash frozen.