Let’s avoid the sobriety (of watching fireworks in town with families and NO alcohol – blerg) and the transport troubles of going somewhere for a meal / drink.  Lets cook something wonderful and open a darn nice bottle of wine.

So we did.  We opened two in fact.  Starting with a Coldstream Hills Vintage Bubbles – we made bellini’s with beautiful ripe white peaches.  Very nice, but if someone can tell me the trick of pouring them I will be ever so grateful.  Lots of bubble and froth and mess.  But sooooooo yummy!  we kept half for midnight toasting.

The we roasted some confit duck, and cooked some puy lentils in duck stock, carrots, onion, bay leaf and orange.  I had macerated some fresh cherries in red wine, orange rind and star anise and poured them over the duck for the last 5 mins of cooking.

It was delicious and we drank it with a 2004 Curly Flat Pinot Noir – which is coming along nicely, but still needs more time in the cellar.