Recipe: Duck Confit [edit]

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Edited by: swati, Barnaby Dorfman, Sheri, mrsound, Helen Pitlick

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Wikipedia

Duck confit () is a French dish made with the leg of the duck. While it is made across France, it is seen as a speciality of Gascony. The confit is prepared in a centuries-old process of preservation that consists of salt curing a piece of meat (generally goose, duck, or pork) and then poaching it in its own fat. To prepare a confit, the meat is rubbed with salt and garlic, then covered and refrigerated for up to 36 hours. Salt curing the meat acts as a preservative. Prior to cooking, the salt is brushed off the meat and it is patted dry. The meat is then placed in a cooking dish deep enough to contain the meat and the rendered fat, and placed in an oven at a low temperature (170 – 275 Fahrenheit/ 76 - 135 degrees Celsius) . The meat is slowly poached at least until cooked, or until meltingly tender, as little as 90 minutes or as long as 10 hours. The meat and fat are then removed from the oven and left to cool. When cool, the meat can be transferred to a canning jar or other container and completely submerged in the fat. A sealed jar of duck confit may be kept in the refrigerator for up to six months, or at several weeks if kept in a reusable plastic container. To maximize preservation if canning, the fat should top the meat by at least one inch. The cooking fat acts as both a seal and preservative and results in a very rich taste. Skipping the salt curing stage greatly reduces the shelf life of the confit. Confit is also sold in cans, which can be kept for several years. The flavorful fat from the confit may also be used in many other ways, as a frying medium for sautéed vegetables (e.g., green beans and garlic, wild or cultivated mushrooms), savory toasts, scrambled eggs or omelettes, and as an addition to shortcrust paste for tarts and quiches. A classic recipe is to fry or grill the legs in a bit of the fat till they are well-browned and crisp, and use more of the fat to roast some potatoes and garlic as an accompaniment. The potatoes roasted in duck fat to accompany the crisped-up confit is called ''pommes de terre à la sarladaise''. Another accompaniment is red cabbage slow-braised with apples and red wine.

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[edit] Ingredients

3	tablespoons salt
4	cloves garlic, smashed
2	shallots, peeled and sliced
	Black pepper, fresh ground
4	duck legs with thighs
½	cup duck fat
1	cup pork

[edit] Preparation

Step 1	Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish large enough to hold the duck legs in a single layer.
Step 2	Add layer with half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 3	Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 4	Melt the duck fat in a saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck being sure to cover and place the confit in the oven.
Step 5	Cook the slowly at low temperature with just a bit of bubbling until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, at least one hour but as long as four. (Longer cooking results in more tender meat.)
Step 6	Remove from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks as long as the skin is completely covered in the fat.