Three Bird Soup

Well here it is, folks. The end of the Thanksgiving leftovers. I know I just told you not to mess with them, but then this idea popped into my head and I just had to use the last bits of turkey to make soup. It's not the standard post-holiday turkey soup, I don't think. First of all, it's more vegetable than turkey: onion, celery, carrot, turnip, and garlic.



I didn't put any rice or noodles in, though I could have, I suppose. Here's the thing that I chuckled at. I used three different birds! I cooked the vegetables in duck fat, then added chicken stock, then at the end I added the chopped, cooked turkey. Duck, chicken, turkey. OMG, I think I made turducken soup.

Pickled Cherry Pan Sauce

Serving duck with cherries isn't ground breaking; people have been serving fowl and fruit  together for ages. I wanted to show you, though, that I did something with my pickled cherries other than just eat them with cheese and crackers! I seared two duck breasts in my trusty cast iron skillet. When they were done I spooned out the excess fat and added two cups of duck stock (chicken stock would have been fine, too) and a sprig of rosemary. I let the stock reduce down to less than a cup, then I fished out the rosemary and added a handful of pickled cherries and a big pinch of salt. I let it simmer for another minute, just until the cherries were warmed through. I really liked how the sweet tart cherries cut through the richness of the duck breast.