Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Okay, this is another of the dishes that I completely neglected to photo-document. I was dutifully taking photos of the process...until I started to run out of time. I literally pulled the ducks - gorgeous mahogany ducks! - out of the oven 10 minutes before we were due to be at my parents' house for our feast. Yikes.  It was delicious...and the declared favorite of at least three dinner guests. But I have no finished photos. So sorry! I think that means that I will have to do this again. Soon. I promise. And I made a delicious glaze with the ripe Hachiya persimmons from a friend's tree. Thanks, Shiho!! Does the idea of roasting a whole duck intimidate you? Don't let it. This is so simple...it just takes time...and a little bit of patience. Here’s the basic technique: 4 hours at 300 degrees, glaze, then finish it at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Here's a more detailed how-to... Unwrap the bird and remove all of the giblets from the duck's cavity.  ...

1 4-pound beef brisket splash of olive oil 2 onions, peeled and diced 4  cloves garlic freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 2  C red wine 1-1/2 C organic chicken broth 1 onion, peeled and diced 4  C organic, seedless red grapes 2-3 sprigs of fresh oregano 2-3 stems of fresh parsley 1 stem fresh rosemary 1/4  C olive oil or duck fat, if you have it 1/4  C white whole wheat flour Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a pan, cook 2 C of the onions and whole garlic in hot oil until onions are tender. Spoon the mixture into a roasting pan; I used a deep stoneware dish. Season brisket with salt and pepper; place brisket on onion mixture. Add wine and broth. Cover and roast for 2 hours. Remove cover and roast, uncovered, for another hour. Remove brisket from oven; stir in 1 C diced onions. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove the dish from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F....