let the games begin

Good friends invited us over for “game night”. I squashed my inner reluctance, being a party game novice, and said we’d love to. When my husband asked what were doing Friday night he was thrilled with where we were going but baulked at the evening’s scheduled activities. I tried to sound optimistic when he put down his foot, literally. I was a bit surprised by his strong reaction. He said he’d had enough of games. I was curious where and with whom he had been playing. At work it turns out. A series of team building exercises with an outside consultant. Once he elaborated they did sound horrendous. I assured him we would surely be doing something much more fun. And as luck would have it a midweek business dinner at our house with one of those above-mentioned consultants provided the perfect fodder for my contribution to Game Night.

This past Wednesday for dinner I served duck confit with sautéed spinach and wild mushroom orzo with an arugula salad. Lucky me I had one crisp leg leftover. Just enough inspiration to create an appetizer size of one of my California favorites- 3 Corner’s Bistro’s Duck Confit and Truffle Flatbread. Here are duck confit pizzettes.

In anticipation I pulled out a stash of my homemade homemade pizza dough from the freezer to thaw overnight. Bring pizza dough to room temperature. Set aside.

The base for these bites are caramelized onions. Begin by slicing one large sweet onion.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine. Continue cooking over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized and golden brown, about thirty minutes. Set aside.

Place the brie cheese in the freezer for ten minutes (it makes it easier to slice). Trim off the rind and slice into approximately half-inch diameter slices 1/8 inch thick, set aside.

Remove the skin from the duck leg. With a fork shred the skin off of the bone. Set aside.

Pinch off grape size balls of dough. Space evenly on a large heavy baking sheet. Press into flat disks approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter.

Place a small spoonful of the caramelized onions on each dough circle.

Top with a small slice of brie.

Then a little shredded duck.

Bake until golden and bubbly, about ten minutes. While still hot, drizzle each pizzette with a little truffle oil.

Serve immediately with a sprig of arugula on top.

These savory treats were as big a hit as our Sequence match. Now for some expert strategy in finagling the hostess out of her recipes for the other scrumptious finger food she served. Wish me luck!