Duck foie de deux.

When Nick and I set the date for our wedding, he solemnly vowed to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday (less than a week later) independently every year. Exceptions should certainly be made, however, in the event of edibles which can be enjoyed very differently across both occasions.

This year my parents sent a delightful package of treats from D'Artagnan, purveyor of many things decadent and delicious. We've squirreled most of them away for enjoyment over the winter...but not without trying a bit of everything first. The theme:

Image from reddit.com

Duck can be a little daunting to cook - it's bigger and tougher than chicken, and quite the workout to break down a whole one ("Can you even conceive of boning a duck???" - Julie & Julia). Having made my own confit before, I know how much work it can be. Fortunately our friends at D'Artagnan make it easy to celebrate the season - flavorful confit, rich sausage, and even a medallion of truffled foie gras. We ate like kings for a week, savoring and highlighting the ingredients in two ways:

#1: Fancy picnic (after a long week at work, didn't really feel like firing up the stove on a Friday night):

L plate: the last of the summer peaches with creamy Brillat-Savarin and challah; R plate: duck foie medallion spread on toast and served with balsamic-roasted figs

As the photographer said, "Hmm, foie gras is best admired from afar."

Our local wine store team's recommendation: a dessert wine alternative to the classic Sauternes (somewhere between a Port and an ice wine)

#2: Dumplings and noodles in soup (a weekend experiment with our favorite newlyweds, my sister and her husband):

Chopping duck confit for Confit-Foie-Morel ravioli filling...

...Mixed up with the remaining foie medallion and some chopped morels:

A little assistance from Whole Foods pasta sheets (no shame!):

Brushed with egg wash to seal the edges:

The biscuit cutter returns!

Waste not - trimmed pasta sheet remnants make rustic noodles in the mushroom broth:

We reconstituted the dried morels in vegetable stock; the Chemex proved useful in filtering out mushroom sand:

Mini morels for garnish, so you know what's inside:

Because a flavorful broth makes everything better:

Surprise! a dusting of porcini powder for an extra flavor punch:

Between the two preparations, it's hard to say which I liked better - picnic-style was all about highlighting flavors, while the dumplings were more about texture (and an excuse to make and eat dumplings).

(W-L) Pats 3-1, (Sunday Home Game Braises) Bev 2-0