The Duck Dinner

It started back in April 2011 at TEDxMile High, when they gifted attendees with a free organic duck from Grant Family Farms. FREE CLEAN MEAT! Even as striving vegetarian, I could not pass it up such a deal.

Next thing I knew, we were CSA members with a working veggie share. The very next next thing we knew, we were hacking down thistles in Grant's garlic field in the sweltering summer sun.

At the end of that hardworking day (which was awesome), I chased some poor Grant FF intern around with my coupon for a free duck. We would not be leaving without it.

After about 40 minutes of visiting every nook and cranny of the operation, I finally noticed that the big white freezer I was sitting on was labeled: "DUCKS." And so, we carried home our frozen friend, put it in the freezer, where it stayed for many months.

Finally, I decided that the time had come and we should have our friend, Camille, over for a pre-Valentine's duck feast. And well, if we're going to serve a fancy meat, we should certainly think about some side dishes....a salad, of course...perhaps some appetizers too....a starter soup?...and what about sauce for the star bird?

From there, it got out of control. It turned into an absurd and totally unwarranted gourmet meal, the likes of which may never be repeated in my lifetime, which is why I must document it here.

At about 2 p.m. that afternoon, Kirk and I looked at each other and worried: "What if Camille cancels? We'll have to recruit guests from the village!" When she finally walked through the door at 6:30 p.m., she saw the menu written on the board and gasped:

The menu:

• Fragrant Brown Rice & Mushroom Soup
• Spinach Salad (with tomatoes, bleu cheese and sunflower seeds)
• Green Bean Amandine
• Wild Rice
• Wheatberry Salad (using wheat from our NoDak farm)
• Apple & Prune Dressing
• Roasted Minighetti
• Bread & Wine
• Roast Duck with Dried Cherry Chutney
• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream 

All of it was made from scratch and by the time it was over, I swore I would not cook again for months, which lasted for about a week. Camille brought the bread and wine and gushed/moaned in all the right places (in person and on Facebook) - the perfect guest. And it only took us two days to get all the dishes washed!

My feet were absolutely killing me and we may have gotten duck on the walls but it was totally worth it.