What do you think of my menu? too much?

bellrooster

No thanks for your imput, I'm a big fan of Celeriac mash though I've never tried it with cream cheese so I'll have a try at that thanks.

Rioja sounds like a wonderful idea also. Yum.

Paulie'sGirl

Hi,

Just a thought on the sauce for the duck. I've had it in a honey and fresh ginger sauce in France a few times now and its delicious.

There it was served with dauphinoise, cauliflower gratin (with nutmeg) and seasonal greens.

Just a thought though, there's garlic in the dauphinoise, do you then need a garlicy sauce on the mushrooms?

PGxx

Merrywidow

Bellrooster - master chef is fantastic. I have the original cookbooks they produced from the 1995 and 1996 series. There is a fantastic sauce that I have used with Duck breast ever since. If you are interested I will put it on here. It involves, red wine, port, redcurrent jelly and all lovely things. Are you interested? For my part I would cut the cream from the meal. You need fruity sharp flavours. Celeriac should be great, but no cream. Good luck.

Just looked up the recipe and they served the duck with potatoes Lyonnaise, braised cabbage rolls, and root vegetable puree. Sounds a bit over the top to me.

The ingredients for the sauce is shallots, celery stick, carrot, brown sugar, port, red wine, chicken stock.

bellrooster

pauliesgirl - yes you're right, I don't want to use too much garlic so none for the mushrooms, no cream for the mushrooms either.. maybe no mushrooms. The honey and ginger sounds lovely - but I know that the person making the first course is heavily influenced by eastern food so I think ginger may appear in the first course!

My mouth is watering Merrywidow at the sound of the red wine and port combo! sounds lovely. I think you're right about cutting the cream, most of the comments are to cut it out and I think you're all totoally right, otherwise the dish is going to be far too fatty!

I saw some frozen cherrys in the farm shop today and I'm wondering how they might go in a redwine based sauce, perhaps in place of the red current Jelly.

tandraig

hun, can I suggest that you are getting sidetracked by alternatives here?
your original menu was fine if you cut down the cream sauces.
my suggestion is to serve the duck with a fruit sauce
combine the potato and leek into a dauphinoise
and leave the greens perfectly cooked and seasoned but no sauce.
and could you please invite me round for that?