I have mentioned before, both here and in my short lived food blog, how much I love Rachael Ray.
Now, I understand the concerns of her detractors. She is WAY overexposed. She can sometimes be annoyingly perky. She's not a "real chef". (An allegation I disagree with, by the way. One does not have to be trained (clasically or otherwise) or hew to certain arbitrary standards of cuisine to be considered a real chef. She's got solid skills and knowledge. For example, she knows better than to use a garlic press on garlic. She may incorrectly call a roll stuffed with basil, mozzarella, cheese and salami a calzone but whatever you want to call it, it's darned tasty and easy. But I digress)
Anyway, despite all of the vitriol being tossed her way, I still adore her. She's entertaining and makes cookiing look not just easy, but fun. I watch her show (30 Minute Meals, I mean - I've never seen her talk show) and I just can't wait to get into the kitchen.
And, most importantly, I've never EVER made a recipe of hers that has not turned out wonderfully. She has never let me down. (Although I did observe a cheat on her show last week. She boiled rigatoni to doneness in four minutes? I don't THINK so! But that's the first and only time so far that I've observed an implausibility and I don't think that gaffe damages the 30 minute-able-ness of the meal. I mean, she could have popped the pasta in the water at any point earlier in the meal prep, she didn't have to wait until minute 23. But I digress. AGAIN)
I was laid up with the flu last week so I did a lot of Rachael watching and ended up making two of her dishes the past couple days. The other night, I made her Taragon-Cream Chicken and Polenta Pot Pies and not only did they turn out perfectly but I was able to pull it off in TWENTY NINE MINUTES. Betta recognize, bitches!!! (Of course, I didn't make the dessert that went with it, but hush, I'm gloating)
But tonight! Oh tonight Rachael and I outdid ourselves. See, Jack's favorite food in the world is duck. He could eat duck every single night of the week. I had, in the past, idly considered trying to make duck at home, but none of the grocery stores I'd been to (including Trader Joes and Whole Foods) sell it. But Rachael made a dish that compelled me to look just a little bit harder.
I remembered that we had had a Wegman's open up fairly nearby (about half an hour from here). I'd never been, but I remembered Wegman's very fondly from when I was in Rochester, NY in 1995. That store left an indelible impression on me, so much so that I SQUEE'd when I heard they were opening one in Maryland - but apparently not enough to get my butt up to Hunt Valley to check it out for myself.
But, Friday night, I was determined to make duck for Jack and figured that if anyone had it, Wegman's would.
And sure enough! Two beautiful duck breasts were mine Saturday afternoon. I practically wept when I saw them. Susie decided that she wanted to keep a pet duck. Ben and Melissa decided that Susie was annoying.
Anyway. Tonight, I made the duck. Orange-Tarrgon Duck to be specific. And it was the single most beautiful and delicious piece of meat I have ever made. I followed Rachael's directions to the letter, even though I had fear that either the fat would burn or the meat would be undercooked but it turned out beautifully. And Jack was ever so appreciative.
Next time, I write about the wonderful thing the children did for Jack. I tell ya, that man is SO loved.
