Duck in Rose Petal Sauce inspired by Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate and its film derivative

AS SEVENTH POST FOR THE #foodflixflex which my friends and I will be doing this September to celebrate food and cinema, I present you my Duck in Rose Petal Sauce (turned out to be more like Duck with Macadamia Sauce) which is inspired by Laura Esquivel's magical realism novel and the 1992 movie version of it which was very faithful to the book both entitled, Like water for chocolate.

I always have a slip of the tongue when saying the title. I say, Like hot water for chocolate. Maybe because this book is about deep longing, true love, hindered desires. So I imagine that Tita melts like chocolate because Pedro is the hot water.    

On the March entry, Tita received a bouquet of roses from Pedro to congratulate her on her first year as ranch cook. The roses which were pink became red when Tita clasped it and her blood mixed in the petals. A chemical reaction began without her knowing. Tita felt she has to do something special about the flowers. The recipe was entered by Tita in her journal and she ended her entry on Quail with Rose Sauce with the note that after eating, her sister Gertrudis ran away with a soldier.

"With that meal, it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication, in which Tita was the transmitter, Pedro the receiver, and poor Gertrudis the medium, the conducting body through which the singular sexual message was passed."
"Pedro didn't offer any resistance. He let Tita penetrate to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they couldn't take their eyes off each other. He said: "Thank you, I never had anything so exquisite."

 I had been wanting to make this exquisite dish   and when opportunity presents, I attempted with what was on hand. Last friday was my sister's birthday and her boyfriend sent her a bouquet of white, pink and red roses. And my other sister sent a dressed duck. Ohlalalalala, my imagination expanded.

Did I mention that my version is more of Duck with Macadamia Oil? Hahahah, yes, because I used macadamia in lieu of chestnuts and the nut has its own overpowering oil. Though my version is a play version of the Mexican recipe which originally called for pheasant but Tita used quails, I am unabashedly and courageously post my own version here.  

Well, I figured that macadamia is like chestnut in color though I have almonds (If you're using, then I suggest that you soak overnight to soften and peel off the brown skin) which I also considered. Too bad, I don't have pitaya or dragonfruit to add color to the dish or at least some beets so I settled for tomato paste. Well, well, my anise or anise palay as we locally name it here ran out, so I used the milder star anise. Actually, I loved the fragrance of star anise and rose after I pounded them together in the mortar. It's like a perfume. No wonder that Pedro exclaimed after tasting the dish, "It is a dish for the gods!"

I assure you my friends, no one ran away after tasting my Duck in Rose Petal Sauce!

Duck in rose petal sauce

Duck
Oil for frying.

12 roses
36 macadamia nuts
2 tsp olive oil
4 T star anise
2 T honey
2 cloves garlic
1 whole duck
Tomato paste

Remove the petals of the roses. In half-cup water, soak 8 roses overnight.

Fry the duck in oil, 10 minutes on each side. Set aside when done.

Strain the petals and save the water. In a mortar and pestle, ground petals with the star anise. Strain and save liquid. Set aside.

In a pan, brown the macadamia nuts and ground them. Set asid.

In same pan, mince the garlic and brown slightly in oil. Add the chestnut puree, along with honey, tomato paste and rose-star anise liquid adjust consistency using the rose water and add salt to taste.

Remove from fire. Immerse the duck in sauce and cook in low-med fire in a dutch oven for 10 minutes to infuse it.

Garnish with rose petals when serving.