Post-Xmas, Post-AWP

Wow, I really should've typed one of these sooner...

Life and School Updates

WHOOPS. It’s been a while. I’m a solid seven weeks into my second semester, so suffice it to say that I’m busy. This semester I’m taking a lighter load of classes: Intro to Semantics, Philosophy of Logic and Language, and Intro to Sociolinguistics. All of these classes are in my wheelhouse or close to it. I’m shocked by how much I’m loving my philosophy class, but if you asked my mom, she’d tell you all about how I was built for it. Thanks mom, but I can’t put your musings on my CV and I certainly can’t attest to them in therapy.

So, school has been going better. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a break and go to the 2024 AWP conference in KCMO as well this year. I promised one of my poetry moms Nancy (GET HER BOOK) that I would try to go last year and I’m glad I did. I was able to see a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a long time, including Cotton Xenomorph folks Chloe, Erin, and Chris, as well as Laura, my dearest love (if I took the time to write out our connections, it would take a century), and soooooo many more folks. I got to reunite with some Pacific MFA folks and my UNL friends as well. It was an enormous serotonin boost for me. I missed my people dearly.

It was also really nice to be in a space where, yes, I was an expert. I was nervous going into linguistics at MSU, and my nerves were validated, in a way, by the rigor of jumping into an 800-level syntax course for which I took my first ever academic incomplete (I’m just now recovering from the mental damage that dealt…). But at AWP, I knew everything I was talking about! I knew people across states and disciplines and presses and ideologies! I connected disparate friends! I sold books on behalf of those friends! It was a reprieve from deep, deep impostor syndrome.

Right now, I’m working through the classes I mentioned earlier (moderately easy) and finishing that syntax incomplete (help). I’m taking it one day at a time. I’ll update you soon, beloveds.

Duck to Love (and a post-xmas update)

Jumping back in time quickly: We didn’t host our regular xmas group. Mom and I went to California for Mom’s 60th bday, then came back to Minnesota and one of my best friends, Ryan, came up from Nebraska. I haven’t much to share about California except it was so nice to be with family I hadn’t seen in a long time. I didn’t cook there.

But when we got back to MN, it was back to our regular scheduled food extravaganza. You can find lots of pics on my instagram.

One of the things I was VERY happy about was a duck breast recipe I served for a small dinner party:

The duck I was talking about served with roasted radishes and potato pavé, a Thomas Keller potato treatment.

Duck Breast with Marsala and Sour Cherry Sauce and Mustard Caviar

Sauce

• 24 oz jar of pitted sour cherries (in water or light syrup)

• 1/2 tbsp whole pink peppercorns

• 1/2 tsp aleppo pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup dry marsala (or pedro ximenez sherry)

• 5 allspice berries

• 1/4 cup GOOD px sherry vinegar (or 1/2 GOOD balsamic and 1/2 white wine)

• 1 tsp cornstarch

Mustard Caviar

This is a ratio of 1:3-4 dry mustard seeds to liquid. Honestly, I was experimenting with this, so I can’t give exact measurements, but I’ll do my best

• 1/4 cup dry whole mustard seeds (one color or mixed)

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1 shallot, minced

• 1 cup white/light-colored vinegar

• optional: herbs like dried tarragon, dill, parsley etc; ground white pepper

Duck

• duck breasts

• salt

• pepper

• ground allspice

Directions

The day before, make the mustard caviar:

1. Place mustard seeds into heat-proof vessel (like a mason jar).

2. Combine everything else in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

3. Simmer until shallots are soft, translucent, and lose their purplish color (5-10 minutes).

4. Strain and pour liquid into vessel with seeds and cover/seal. Set on counter until cool, then transfer to fridge.

Make the Sauce

1. Drain the jar of cherries and RESERVE the liquid.

2. Pour the cherry liquid into a saucepan and add the allspice berries.

3. Reduce the liquid to about 1 cup.

4. Remove and discard the allspice berries.

5. Add wine, vinegar, and aleppo pepper. Reduce again to about 1 cup.

6. Add drained cherries and a slurry made from cornstarch and 1 tbsp vinegar.

7. Bring to boil to activate starch, but continue boiling to reduce to desired thickness. (sauce will continue to thicken upon cooling).

8. Adjust seasoning! Sauce should be a good balance of sweet, sour, and salted. Not too salty or sour; the duck and mustard caviar are also seasoned.

Season the Duck

1. Score the duck breasts through their fat in diamonds. Do not cut all the way through to the meat. Toss with a light sprinkling of salt, pepper, and ground allspice. Set aside.

All Together!

1. Pat dry duck breasts. On medium heat, sear duck breasts on fat side until brown.

2. Flip breasts and sear on meat side until brown again. Pull from heat 5-10 internal degrees before desired internal temp. Duck should be served like steak (i.e., however you like your steak is how you want your duck). Set in a warm oven or on a warm plate covered with foil.

3. When ready to plate, slice duck across grain in 3/8 inch slices, spoon with cherry sauce, then dollop with mustard caviar. Or, serve whole breast, spoon with sauce and dollop with caviar.

So, beloveds,

That’s it for this dispatch! I actually have fun facts in mind, but I’m a little too tired to type them all out right now. Suffice it to say that there’s a lot of really interesting sociolinguistics facts I’m sure I can tell you later. Honestly, I just felt like I needed to update you all ASAP. Expect another dispatch sometime involving racks of lamb.