January 27, 2022 Lunch - Padilla’s Chile Relleno Plate Dinner - Duck Confit with Potatoes Reblechon and Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

January 27, 2022 Lunch - Padilla’s Chile Relleno Plate   Dinner - Duck Confit with Potatoes Reblechon and Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Woke up at 4:15 and worked on my brief until 6:15 when I went back to sleep until 7:30.

I worked at my desk until 9:10 and then toasted two bagel halves and spread cream cheese on them and garnished them with slices of thinly sliced red onion and Gravad lax and made a cup of Assam chai.

I then showered and got ready to go to my dentist appointment but found out at the last minute that it needed to be re-scheduled to tomorrow.

So, at 11:15 I drove to Smiths after clipping several coupons.  Today was a fabulous day of grocery shopping for four or five reasons. I clipped on line before I went a mega discount of $1.00 if five or more related items were bought.  I bought a bag of Keebler chocolate chip cookies, a box of Triscuits, a bag of Chip Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, a pound of extra creamy Land O Lakes butter, and Nathan’s Ball Park Franks and got the discount. 

The next big deal was a discount on Pork tenderloins to $2.28 per lb. And a Chuck roast for $3.49 per lb..

Then I went to the produce department and found freshly discounted bags of sugar snap peas that were in good condition for $.99 per bag.

But the best deal of all was when I entered the store where the fancy Murray cheeses are kept and asked the attendant where the discounted cheeses could be found.  She pointed to a cooler a few feet away and said, “Over there.”  I walked over there and Viola, I found the discounted cheeses.  There were two types and I took 1 of each, a wedge I’d Point Reyes Bay Blue for $2.49 and a small round container of St. Mary’s Blooming Rind cheese for $3.99.  I felt like an explorer discovering a new land.

I also bought red, yellow, and orange bell peppers on sale for $.88 each.

It was a great day of shopping.  

After I checked out I called Padilla’s and ordered a Chile Relleno plate with double beans, onion, and green sauce.

I had to wait and that made me a few minutes late for the book club meeting, but when I connected Charlie and me we had to wait while the four live attendees ate bowls of mushroom soup, so I was able to eat most of my Relleno before recording the notes of the meeting.

After the meeting at 2:45 I worked a bit and ate the two sopapillas that came with the meal with honey and then dozed off in front of the TV until a bit after 5:00, when Suzette arrived and I joined the zen sitting group.

After it ended at 5:30 we discussed dinner.  Suzette suggested duck tacos and I suggested making potatoes au gratin with Raclette cheese and steamed sugar snap peas. 

We took a short walk at 5:45 and then when we returned began to cook.  Suzette found a recipe she had found for potatoes with Reblechon cheese.  I diced 1/3 onion and 1/2 of a shallot and sliced two strips of bacon into lardons. Then I peeled and thinly sliced six small potatoes and covered them with water and boiled them until tender.  It was a French recipe from the Savoir.  Since Raclette is also a Savoir cheese and also a good melting cheese, the substitution was of little consequence.  

Suzette fetched the quart of heavy cream and a bag of sugar snap peas from the garage fridge. 

While Suzette sautéed the bacon and onions, I snapped a generous handful of sugar snap peas and put them in the steamer.  

Suzette then sautéed the blanched potato slices until they started to brown and then removed them to a Pyrex dish. She then added 150 ml. of white wine and 200 ml. of  heavy cream to the skillet and heated it until the sauce started to thicken.  She then poured the sauce over the potatoes and baked the dish in a convection oven until the dish was bubbling at the edges and the potatoes had browned.  Here is a picture.

                                                      The finished sauce

I removed the excess skin from the 1/2 duck confit and sliced it into 3/4 inch thick slices where possible and filled another Pyrex container.  Suzette drizzled the duck with some liquid from a bottle of Maraschino cherries to flavor and keep the duck meat from drying out.

Before dinner prep I went to the basement and fetched six bottles of wine, four whites and a bottle of De Ponte Dundee Hills Pinot Noir and a bottle of 2018 Pierre Mondel Signargues Cotes Du Rhone Villages.  I opened the Signargues and poured two glasses.

Suzette microwaved the duck and steamed the sugar snap peas and when the potatoes were fully cooked she plated our dinner.  It was really a wonderful dinner.  The Signargues is one of my absolute favorite wines with duck because it has 4 grapes and a decree of complexity that I think is a bargain at $15.00 per bottle at Total Wine.

P

We both loved the wine and after dinner sipped the rest of the bottle.

While I still had some wine left I opened the Mary’s cheese and we ate some slices with sips of wine.  It was an amazing experience.  It was hard to believe it was an American cheese.

We watched the last four episodes of Emily in Paris and went to bed at 10:15.

We elevated our minimum-cooking taco night into an amazing French meal.

I loved it.

Bon Appetit