Pappardelle Pasta with Duck Rillette, Mushrooms and Rosemary Cream Sauce
from www.zzestmarket.com

Brian and I made this with smoked duck (that we smoked ourselves) instead of the duck rillette, which is similar to a duck pâté. We made our own homemade noodles, which I highly suggest. It wasn't that bad making them because you can roll the noodle dough out and cut it with a knife rather than putting it through a pasta machine, although it does need to be quite thin. We cut back on the rosemary to about 2 sprigs in the cream sauce. It was very good; Brian liked it more than I did. I might try this again, but try to make a homemade duck rillette or something similiar. We just cut up the smoked duck, but a rillette (think pâté) would give this a smoother, creamier texture. I might even be brave and use all of the rosemary called for! The problem with rosemary is that it can be quite strong. We also made some other substitutions given what we had on hand. Omitted the brandy and used some fresh mushrooms and dried shitakis that we had.

Mushrooms:

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
½ ounce of dried mushrooms such as Forest or Porcini, reconstituted and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
2 Tbsp. olive oil

For the mushrooms:

Sauté garlic in olive oil until light gold. Add all mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Toss and cook until wilted and tender. Add a drop more oil if necessary. Cool and set aside.

Cream Sauce:

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, chopped
¼ cup brandy
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken broth
1 bay leaf
8 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 peppercorns
3 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter

For the sauce:

In saucepot, sauté garlic and shallots in butter until soft. Add the brandy; heat to burn off alcohol. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add stock, bay leaf, all but 1 rosemary sprig and peppercorns. Bring to a boil then simmer until reduced by half. Strain. Add heavy cream and 1 rosemary sprig. Bring to boil and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper. Remove rosemary.

1 lb. Pappardelle pasta, cooked according to the package (or make your own Homemade Pappardelle)
1 -7 ounce package of duck rillette, pulled (recipe for Duck Rillette)
1 Tbsp. butter, plus a little extra
¼ cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, tarragon, thyme)
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 plum tomato, seeded coarsely chopped (optional)

To serve:

While pasta is cooking, put mushrooms, duck rillette and 1 Tbsp. butter in sauté pan; toss and heat, then sprinkle in the chopped herbs. Add a touch more butter; toss until butter is melted. Drain pasta well and toss with the duck and mushrooms. Add sauce and toss. Garnish with a rosemary sprig, Parmesan and chopped tomato, if desired.