Grilled Duck with Jalapeno Cream Sauce and Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach

My hubby went on a duck and goose hunt at the beginning of January. The day the weather was sooo cold and raining. Apparently that’s the best weather for this kind of hunt, but they where crazy in my eyes. I stayed home in my warm blanket watching movies haha. I did wake up at 4am to make my hubby waffles then headed back to bed. Here’s what their view looked like and what they came home with:

They divided up the ducks, we took 2 and I marinated them then grilled them while the others went off to our neighbor who was going to smoke them. (More on how that turned out later.)

Duck is a very lean meat, the wild is better then the fatty ones you get in the store. Since there was no fat on these you have to be vary careful when cooking them. Medium rare is best then pull it off the grill as it will continue to cook a little as it rest. If you overcook them, they will be very chewy. I would LOVE to cook it the same way so I hope they come home with much more next season.

Grilled Wild Duck Filets
(Created by Finding Inspiration In Food)

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4 duck breast filets
½ tablespoon minced garlic
½ tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary

Soak the duck in enough buttermilk to cover them, overnight in the fridge.

Remove breasts from buttermilk, rinse then season with salt and pepper. Combine garlic, thyme and rosemary.

Rub the minced spices thoroughly on breasts and let the duck in in the refrigerator at least an hour.

Grill duck over medium heat to desired doneness.

Let rest a few minutes then cut in thin strips.

The sauce I used with the duck went really well. Don’t be scared of the jalapeno making it too spicy it had a nice sweetness to it as well. I cooked mine a little too long so the sauce was thick, but overall I really like it.

Jalapeno Cream Sauce
(Adapted from Fine Texas Cuisine by Jon Bonnell)

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1 chopped jalapeno
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons dry white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
pinch of josher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the jalapenos and garlic in butter in a small sauté pan just until the garlic bubbles, but do not brown.

De-glaze the pan with wine and reduce until the pan is almost dry.

Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce until it thickens to a nice rich coating sauce consistency and serve in a bowl.

As a side dish I made a Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach from the same book as the sauce. I like it, but it seemed like there was too much cream in there so I would cut back on that next time.

Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach
(Adapted from Fine Texas Cuisine by Jon Bonnell)

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2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound baby spinach , washed
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the jalapenos and garlic in olive oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. Do not let it brown or the dish will take on a bitter flavor.

Add the baby spinach to the pan in one large heap.

As it begins to wilt, add the cream and turn the spinach often.

As soon as the cream begins to simmer, the spinach will wilt quickly. As it wilts, season with salt and add the cheese.

Once the spinach is fully wilted, it’s ready to serve.

Now you wanna see how my neighbors duck turned out? He started off by marinating it in the buttermilk which removes the game taste. He seasoned it and wrapped it in bacon before smoking it for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours he wanted to crisp up the bacon so he put it on the grill with some sausage and hot dogs he was cooking. The door bell rings and when he returns to the grill he gets this….

So sad that all that work turned into a pile of ash. Needless to say he was a little jealous of how our duck turned out!

Iron Chef General Tso’s Sauce and Glaze Review

Happy Friday! It seemed like this week dragged on for some reason, but now that it’s come to an end at least I can announce the winner of our Jack Daniel’s Charcoal Giveaway……AJ! Congrats and be on the lookout for an email from me.

Sometimes I don’t have time to cook a meal, yeah I know I’m not super woman, sorry to disappoint. I really like Asian food, but have a hard time making it from scratch so when I see something to make it a shortcut without waiting for take out I wanna try it. I figure this being a product of Iron Chef it would in deed be iron chef worthy.

I started out cooking up some diced up chicken.

While the chicken was cooking I stir fried a package of veggies in the freezer with some peanuts.

Combine the 2 and pour over the sauce until heated through.

I served this over some rice. Overall the sauce was flavorful, but not how I expect General Tso’s to taste. There was no heat to it at all so we had to add red pepper flakes and cayenne. It has a nice thickness to it, but hubby says even if I have a coupon and it’s on sale he wouldn’t buy it again. Sigh…so I’m still on the hunt for some easy Asian semi-homemade help.

 

I was not paid for this review nor was I told what to say, I purchased the item on my own.

Chicken & Spaghetti Squash

I still want to keep with my New Year’s resolution from last year of trying new ingredients and giving the ones I say ehh to another shot. We like squash, but I’ve never made spaghetti squash before. I’ve seen it in magazines before and it always looked to fancy. Well, the day has come where I’ve finally made one. It’s way easier then I thought it would be. The only thing I would change in this recipe is adding a little more seasoning, otherwise I can’t wait to make it again.

Chicken & Spaghetti Squash
(Adapted from Family Circle)

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1 large  spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons  olive oil
10 ounces  sliced white mushrooms
3 cloves  garlic, thinly sliced
2 cans  (14.5 ounces each) Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes
3 bonesless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1/4 teaspoon  red pepper flakes
1/2 cup  fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup  grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard.

Place squash halves, cut-side down, in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish and add 1/2 cup water. Cover tightly with foil; bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, until tender.

While squash is baking, make sauce. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in tomatoes, chicken, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook 6 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring, until chicken reaches 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Tear basil into bite-size pieces; stir into sauce.

To serve, carefully remove cooked squash from baking dish and shred with a fork into strands. Place in a large bowl.

Divide among plates and top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Frangelico Hazelnut Martini

What a busy weekend. With the help of a few neighbors we started a monthly dinner club and this past Saturday was our first dinner at our house. 6 couples doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize my dishes are all sets of 8 not 12 and umm where’s everyone gonna sit? Well, it all worked itself out and we had a great time! Since I was hosting we where in charge of the main dish. We made my super easy turkey. I didn’t realize there’s less of a variety in sizes when it’s not Thanksgiving and ended up with a 22 pounder! All went well and I can’t wait for next month’s dinner, the theme is Mexican and I’m in charge of a soup or salad. I’m thinking it’ll be a tortilla soup yummy! So to kick off the week I’m gonna start with a cocktail.

I will say this, it was tasty, but it was also really strong so it’s a slow sipper one.

We extended the Jack Daniel’s Charcoal and Smoker Blocks giveaway to end this Thursday so if you haven’t entered yet be sure to click HERE for details.

Frangelico Hazelnut Martini
(Adapted from Frangelico.com)

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Frangelico
Vodka
Cocoa powder for garnishing glass

Mix equal parts of Frangelico and vodka. Shake and serve in a martini glass garnished with a chocolate rim.

Spinach Soufflé Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these for a dinner party a while back and hadn’t gotten around to posting them. It’s a neat combo that' wasn’t too bad. The flavor was a little bland so be sure to add a dash of seasoning on top.

Spinach Soufflé Stuffed Mushrooms
(Adpated from Family Circle)

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1 package  (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 pound  Havarti cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup  grated Parmesan cheese
3   eggs
2 tablespoons  milk
1 teaspoon  garlic powder
1 teaspoon  dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon  black pepper
1/2 teaspoon  ground nutmeg
2 pounds medium-size  white mushrooms (about 30), stems removed and caps cleaned
1/2 teaspoon  salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Put spinach, Havarti, Parmesan, eggs, milk, garlic powder, oregano, pepper and nutmeg in processor. Pulse until cheese is finely chopped.

Place mushroom caps on 11 x 15 x 1/2-inch baking pan. Coat mushrooms with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt.

Fill each cap with 1 level tablespoon spinach mixture. (Can be made a day ahead; refrigerate, tightly covered.)

Bake in 375 degrees F oven 25 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is set.