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    The Five of Hearts
    1 bite · 2 chews

    The Five of Hearts

    A one-inch five-spice duck rillette tart sealed with a tiny heart of cherry

    For the 'Five of Hearts' — the inner circle of John & Clover Hay and Henry & Marian Adams

    Why this bite? The Hay and Adams families called their inner circle the 'Five of Hearts.' Five spices, one cherry heart — friendship at the center of power.

    The Story

    Before there was a hotel, there was a friendship. John and Clara Hay, Henry and Marian 'Clover' Adams, and the geologist Clarence King called themselves the Five of Hearts — Washington's most brilliant private salon, gathered across Lafayette Square. This bite is a tribute to that intimacy: five warming spices in a duck rillette, sealed with a single heart of cherry. Power, here, was always a conversation among friends.

    Prep: 30 minYield: 12 pieces

    Ingredients

    • Duck confit
    • Five-spice blend
    • Butter
    • Mini tart shells
    • Cherry preserves
    • Brandy
    • Chives

    Preparation

    1. 1.Shred duck confit and whip with butter and five-spice into a rillette.
    2. 2.Pipe into one-inch tart shells.
    3. 3.Reduce cherry preserves with a splash of brandy.
    4. 4.Seal each with a tiny heart of cherry and a chive.

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