A Duck’s Life

I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why people don’t cook as much as they used to. It’s a complex issue with more facets than the Hope diamond. So here is a look at three of the facets, have people: a) forgotten how to shop  b)  slaves to recipes  c) don’t know how to re-invent the ‘left-overs’.  There is no right or complete answer.
With that in mind, I present the life of one small duck. Last Saturday night, we had  Roast Duck with Tangerine . Delicious.

After dinner, all the bones went into a bag and we went to bed.
The next day, the  bones, along with some carrots, celery and onions got turned into duck stock.

Wednesday night, the duck stock was accented with dried porcini, which was then strained, and double strained and served as  Duck and Porcini Consomme.  The porcini add a beautiful richness to the flavor of the duck consomme, and little shreds of lemon peel give it a citrusy brightness.

So, then there was a little bit of leftover consomme. Yesterday that got turned into a Lentil and Chestnut stew.   
So, one little duck, showed up in 3 meals.  Frugal, fun, and tasty. What could I do with a whole flock of ducks?? Speaking of, does anyone know of a source in New York for duck necks? Just the necks? I’ve asked all of my local butcher sources and they look at me as though I must be into something very, very kinky!