Bon Appetit!

By the way, did you know the last "t" is silent? Like bon appetee. Really, I swear. I didn't know that either until I saw the movie Julie & Julia and heard it. Bill, who used to be somewhat fluent, confirmed this to be true. It sort of changes everything, doesn't it?

Back in August we went to see the movie with Sara and Matt and planned a 3-course French dinner afterwards. The movie is cute and it's killing me that I didn't think of it first. Do you think if I start to make all of Rachael Ray's recipes I'll get a book and movie deal? No? Damn. Seeing the movie made us all salivate and it was all we could do to finish watching it and not leave to go eat. If you like food at all, I'd recommend seeing it. Put it on your rental queue.

Dinner was fantastic. Bill and I made course 1 which was Emeril Lagasse's seared duck with a balsamic cherry reduction, duck-fat fried potatoes and haricot verts (the Frenchie words for green beans - of note, the "t"s are also silent). The highlight was the reduction. Can't even begin to tell you how good it was. In fact, I've added the recipe below so you can try it for yourselves. It would also be excellent over pork or chicken, maybe even shrimp.


Matt made course 2 which was Julia Child's recipe for boeuf bourguignon which I didn't realize is like a kick-ass beef stew. Don't think Dinty Moore here, people, think GOOD. I don't even like stew. It was served with an olive herb artisinal bread.


Sara made course 3 which was another Julia recipe for chocolate rum cake. Due to some miscalculations, it didn't turn out how it was supposed to but we're talking chocolate rum cake here, people. I'm not sure how, but we managed choked it down anyway. ;) Sara made it again the following weekend and it was superb (again).

Balsamic Cherry Reduction:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
11/2 cups rich duck or chicken stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon cold butter
Salt and black pepper

Directions
Set a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, about 30 seconds, add the shallots, garlic and cherries. Cook the shallots, garlic and cherries until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots begin to caramelize, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and when the vinegar is almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes, add the stock and chopped sage. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Once the sauce is cooked, swirl the cold butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse