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Duck, Duck, Goose

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     I distinctly remember The first time I ate duck. My brother was a raccoon hunter in our younger days. He had come home to go hunting with some friends. After dropping the dogs out to hunt they got separated and the dogs didn't return. Usually if this happens a hunter will leave his coat and lantern near the spot where they started their hunt. When you return in the morning the dog or dogs are usually curled up in the coat waiting for your return. Not this time. He soon got a call from the county sheriff's office. If he wanted his dogs he had to make restitution for some livestock that they had killed. With checkbook in hand he headed for the farm to meet a deputy.
     It wasn't until he was at the farm that he realized that livestock meant ducks and geese. The officer asked the owner how many were killed. A few geese and many ducks totaling 37 birds. My brother asked how much and was given a price. He wrote the check and handed it to the officer without letting go of the check. The deputy asked why. My brother said if I am paying for 37 birds I want all 37. The officer said that was only right. The owner said she had already cleaned and processed most. The officer said you have to bring them to him if you want paid.
     My brother had hunted birds for years and he didn't see enough feathers for 37 birds. He was suspicious that the owner was taking advantage of his bad situation. As bad as he felt about any birds being killed he wanted some answers. Well the farmer came up with 37 birds. Most were frozen solid. She had cleaned and dressed most of the 37 birds and got them to be frozen hard in a couple of hours. Pretty amazing! While she was gathering up the last of the birds the officer told my brother that if he wanted he only had to pay for the birds not cleaned because he knew the farmer had exaggerated her losses. Randy said no I'll take them all. The officer did look at her and said if dogs get into your flock again, don't call us. Hence my introduction to duck! A lot of people in our small town benefitted. Randy shared with a lot of folks.
      I thought about making Orange Duck or (Duck a l'Orange) but decided to just pan fry it plain. I cut cross lines on the skin side and slowly rendered the fat on that side. Flipped them over for a few minutes on the other side and served. All of the sites I looked at said it needed to be medium rare but I let it go a little longer. I thought it would be better received by the family. My granddaughter said she didn't know if she liked it or not. However I noticed none was left on her plate. I served the duck breast with roasted vegetables. It made a nice meal.


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