Citrus Roast Duck Adventure

March 06, 2025 by Alyssa D in main course

David Chang had us at duck and oranges. When the chef talked about foraging citrus tree leaves for a futuristic roasted bird on his Netflix show Dinner Time Live before the holidays, we looked at each other and smiled.

This was during the proverbial calm before the storm. Ripening fruit filled the towering navel orange tree in our backyard. Roast duck is one of Guillaume’s specialties. All the ingredients were straightforward and this seemed just right for a small, cozy Christmas dinner.

But we didn’t have a recipe, just the official blog post where Dave described generally what he planned to make — and clearly had to change at the last moment. This is how I found myself scrutinizing the video replay over and over, trying to decipher a wine bottle label and gas flame height.

Smoked Salmon Blini Appetizer Adventure

May 27, 2021 by Alyssa D in appetizers

From November through a rainy, cold spring, the agreement with our neighbors was unspoken. Holiday string lights on porches and outdoor trees stayed up. Those twinkly lights still bring me comfort, even as the days get sunnier and freer.

There have been other holiday holdovers. Sometimes I’ll rewatch the festive series “Dash & Lily” on Netflix late at night. And we finally saw the “Great British Bake-Off” New Year’s special featuring the cast of “Derry Girls” long after ringing in 2021.

In that episode, the actors are challenged to make smoked salmon and beetroot blinis straight out of the Before Times. Passing around a plate of picturesque hors d’oeuvres? For more than a year, our “appetizers” were often chips we ate over the sink.

My First Thanksgiving Adventure

November 19, 2020 by Alyssa D in sides

In the Thanksgiving photo from 2005, I’m flanked by friends old and new as I tentatively slice into a gigantic roast turkey. We’re standing at the counter in a tiny New York City studio apartment. I’m sweaty and focused. It’s the moment of truth.

The kind man working at the grocery store in Harlem, where I bought ingredients for the dinner, had given me precise instructions. He said his wife roasted a turkey for church nearly every Sunday. Buoyed by that thought, I wrote down what he said on a piece of paper. Put melted butter over the skin, cover tightly, let it rest, don’t panic...

Modern Turkey Potpie Adventure

November 30, 2018 by Alyssa D in main course

Our wacky Thanksgiving tradition emerged out of necessity. We’d attended a fantastic Friendsgiving that quickly morphed from a half dozen people into an enormous crowd.

The original plan was that we’d make turkey thighs simmered in red chile, but the guest list grew too long for that to be realistic. Other folks eagerly volunteered to roast a big turkey. While there was plenty for dinner, the few leftovers were divided between the friends who brought it and our gracious host. We all insisted.

After so many weeks with turkey on the brain, though, Guillaume and I were hankering for some more.