Thursday, December 24, 2009

Quince it is

It's curious that quince are creamy and pale, like pears, but Spanish quince paste is burgundy, like red wine. 

The Moro roast duck was duck as usual which is to say, it threw off epic quantities of fat while retaining a puny amount of grayish meat that clung tightly to the brittle bones. To make the quince sauce, you remove most of the fat from the pan drippings, add sherry and quince paste and cook until you have a sweet-tart gravy. By coincidence, I had also baked the Moro flatbreads (stellar!!) and when I composed a sandwich with the pillowy bread, crackly skin, meat, and jammy sauce, it tasted like Peking duck. Only missing were slivered green onions and chopsticks. 

My mother has just told me I can't post a macabre chicken story that unfolded last night: "People don't want to read about things like that. You've lost enough chickens, no one wants to know about how you lost this one. Write about a beautiful baby, or a Christmas tree lane." 

A Christmas tree lane? 

I don't know any stories about Christmas tree lanes, but she's right about withholding the chicken story, at least on Christmas Eve. Plus, we haven't actually lost this hen. I practiced some amateur veterinary medicine and if she pulls through, it will be a heartwarming tale of a brave little bird and a sadistic raccoon. If she dies, maybe I will save it for Halloween. 

I just had my mother proofread this post. She said, "What are you talking about that you don't know stories about a Christmas tree lane? We go to one every year and we're going tonight. The man who has 250,000 lights and brings in snow? The toboggans? The people who walk up and down the street and sit out in front of their houses and meet and greet? It's just charming!"

She seemed hurt that I didn't instantly jump on the Christmas tree lane story, but now I have and you know what? She's right. It's much nicer than the chicken story.


6 comments:

  1. stephen king would put the chicken and the raccoon on the christmas tree lane--and look how well he does!
    we haven't heard much about the turkeys lately. are they, uh, still with us?
    and by the way, merry christmas, tipsy!
    you've made 2009 more fun for all of us, i think.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your description of the grayish duck meat--that whole sentence--was superbly constructed. Spot on.

    I don't know what it is about quinces, but they do turn a maroony color when cooked. They look like my cherry peach jam.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to hear your mother sounding better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a lot of fruit that I like that many people are interested in and want to find a lot of it. I think it must be healthy for me.

    Gclub

    ReplyDelete
  5. الألوان الزاهية وهي من الألوان التي تجذب الانتباه وتتميز بأشكالها الرائعة التي تستهوي الناظرين، ومن أفضل تلك الألوان وأكثرها جاذبية اللون الأخضر مع الأحمر، حيث تمثل الزهور الحمراء وسط الأوراق الخضراء مزيجًا رائعًا متناسقًا، ويمثل لوحة فنية مبدعة خاصة عند القدرة على رسم أشكال هندسية متعددة بتلك الزهور الزاهية، سواء كانت في صورة مربعات أو مثلثات أو دوائر أو غير ذلك من الإبداع الفني الذي يظهر عند تصميم الحديقة الخاصة بمنزلك، وذلك يعطي المنزل طبيعة ديناميكية تقترن بالتأثيرات المتناقضة للعقد على عجلة الألوان، فاحرص على تلك الألوان عند تنسيق الحديقة الخاصة بك. اقرا ايضا شركة تنسيق حدائق بجدة
    شركة تنسيق حدائق بخميس مشيط
    شركة تنسيق حدائق بابها
    شركة تنسيق حدائق بالمدينة المنورة


    ReplyDelete
  6. We offer personal Business loans services around the world. We strive to provide high quality service and high customer satisfaction, while possible financial services. We pride ourselves on our commitment to our customers; We can give you personal loans, auto loans, business / investment loans, short term loans. You can contact us for an affordable loan now at 2% interest rate. Contact us now via E-mail: abdullahibrahimlender@gmail.com
    WhatsApp Number +918929490461
    Mr Abdullah Ibrahim

    ReplyDelete