Pasta with Duck and Cranberries

This was supposed to be black pepper fettuccine with duck and cranberries but nobody told me that if I used coarse ground black pepper, I wouldn't be able to extrude the pasta through all the little holes in the pasta maker. Yup - guess I had a small brain fluff there, didn't I.

No matter, I just used storebought linguine and ramped up some different flavors on this one. The pasta sauce included sauteed onion, garlic, mushrooms, a touch of triple sec, heavy cream, a hint of nutmeg, a ton of black pepper and a garnish of orange zest. Oh and we can't forget the duck! This was the final package of leftover duck from that 6 pound bird the big guy cooked on the rotisserie a while ago and we have enjoyed every single solitary morsel of it, starting with the breasts for the first dinner, a little thigh meat for a fabulous duck pizza and the rest of the "bits" on last night's pasta.

The verdict - while tasty, I found it a bit too sweet and should have exchanged the triple sec for brandy or marsala; however, as far as inventions go it wasn't such a bad thing. Didn't hold a candle to the pizza though!

Pasta with Duck and Cranberries (from JBug’s Kitchen)

 

1/4 cup butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup triple sec optional

Salt & pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/4 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 cups slivered cooked duck

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Orange zest for garnish

Parmesan cheese for garnish

1/2 pound pasta, cooked to al dente stage

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft, stirring often. Add mushrooms and sauté until any liquid given up by the mushrooms has evaporated and mushrooms are golden. Add triple sec to deglaze pan, cooking until all signs of liquor have disappeared. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in nutmeg. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil and cook until cream has reduced and sauce is slightly thickened (1 - 2 minutes). Add duck and heat until duck is warmed through. Add cooked pasta and cranberries - toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper as required. Garnish with orange zest and parmesan cheese.  Serves 4. Download Pasta with Duck and Cranberries

Comments

[Mags]

Come cook for me... please! I feel as though we've been eating the same thing day in and day out and I want something like this to eat!

[June]

Big guy says "NO - I gotta' cook for him". Gee, who does he think he is anyway? I think you should come visit, bring the Hubs and the woof and we'll have some fun in the sun. Going up to 80 today (75 & sunny right now)

[Katie@Cozydelicious]

What a great combo of flavors. Funny about the black pepper pasta! I would never have thought of that!

[June]

Katie - I suppose if I hadn't been so lazy I could have rolled and cut the homemade pasta by hand, but time was an issue. Sure was a humiliating lesson though. LOL

[Nanan]

I think that looks fabulous - and I love a bit of sweetness to my food! - I bet if you added BACON - it would work hahahahahahahaha - funny about the pasta!!!next time sfoglia!!!!! - just sheets of the stuff and cut in weird shapes and call it a day!!!

[June]

Ha, ha, ha ...bacon. I had a good laugh at that one. Time to cook another duck!