Christmas Duck

I think it was Mork and Mindy who explicitly pointed out something I had felt for a few years. It is a long time since I saw the show and have no idea who anybody is apart from Mork. But basically, somebody is trying to explain Christmas to an outsider (in this case a slightly deranged space-alien). They have no difficulty explaining what turkey is. It's like chicken, only dryer and not as good. So when asked to explain why you have an inferior bird for the most special of occasions, the man was a bit stumped.

I used to eat Turkey for Christmas, but not for a few years. We had ham for at least the last two years, and this time I got to thinking we should do something different. And I came out of Sainsbury's carrying a frozen duck. 

This isn't a food blog, or a recipe blog, but I will tell you my thoughts anyway. The duck cooked with no issues, and I made an exciting glaze which was sweet, hot, salty and umami. It was however more than a bit tricky to carve. I am rubbish at carving at the best of times, but we very nearly had Chinese style shredded duck for Christmas.

One duck, "lovingly" prepared for roasting. I should have paid more attention is GCSE science, because I was unaware than the insides of a duck were neatly contained in a plastic bag.

Nearly done. Glaze added, just needs another 10 minutes.

Not too bad for my first attempt.

I seem preoccupied by the mathematics of my glaze. It had four ingredients, and four flavours. So it should be that case that each ingredient is there to supply one taste. However that is not the case, and I am unsure what to do with the pigeon principle. Oh shit, there were five ingredients, I forgot about brown sugar. (Which substituted for the molasses I don't have.) 

Right then, a Christmas riddle. Four flavours (see above), five ingredients to accompany duck, one of them is brown sugar. What are the ingredients?

1, (6,5)

2, (5)

3, Brown sugar (5,5)

4, (3,5)

5, (3,5)

First correct answer wins something appropriate. Maybe a Subway turkey sandwich. Obviously, people who live here and ate the meal are excluded. Don't jump in and ruin it for everybody else like you did last time. Yes, you know who you are.

I will accept if you get 4 and 5 in the wrong order! One last clue, the letter E appears 5 times.

Eat More Fish

After my post on why I shouldn't eat meat I saw an advert for a show on a very similar topic. I didn't watch it, but I guess the gist of Channel 4's investigation is that you can't have cheap ethical meat products. I have really gone off having meat in convenience food like pasties or sandwiches from the shop or whatever. But I am still cool with having meat occasionally when it is the focus of a meal. We have completely stopped having spaghetti bolognaise (with meat), we just have spaghetti and a jar of tomato sauce now.

I haven't even posted about Eurovision that is how much I haven't been blogging. But when the musical elite of Europe came together to laugh at the contestants in Baku I had a barbecue to mark the occasion, and on that barbecue I put some mackerel. It was an exciting day for a barbecue. Good thing I had watched that video on how to clean and gut a mackerel, cos I wasn't expecting to have to do it when I was planning the meal.

Guess what's in the bag.

We had more fish on a birthday barbecue a couple of weeks later, including a trout. Not only that, but on two occasions now I have made a quick and possibly healthy lunch by getting a fish fillet from the supermarket and pan frying it. If you do this from Sainsbury's they give you a free knob of interesting butter. You don't get that at Morrison's. Sainsbury's really know how to look after their customers.

Felt all cheffy spooning my foaming butter over my fish.