Two Months, Six Ducks Later…
Confit is an Old World method of preservation whereby meats are salted and cooked slowly in their own fat and then preserved in the same fat. Y’know, like before Carl von Linde was born…
So, I finally managed to render enough duck fat to make some confit de canard, a specialty of Gascony. Just in time for fall and winter, I’m happy to say. And the fat should be good enough to confit more legs before becoming too salty.
I know…people are either completely turned off or on by the idea of cooking food completely immersed in fat. Well, I obviously fall into the latter category. A life without pommes frites and duck confit would be no life at all.
I can only say that I try to be pretty responsible about what I eat and for all my starry-eyed blather about eating Fat, I’m surprisingly moderate (believe it or not my diet is semi-raw). And just for argument’s sake, the studies of Serge Renaud showed that: “Goose and duck fat are closer in chemical composition to olive oil than to butter and lard.”* Gotta love the French and their Paradox. Not that it justifies eating duck fat everyday (and I’m not implying that the French do, in fact I highly doubt it), but its nothing to feel guilty about when consumed in moderation as with anything else.
Anyhoo, making duck confit is a timely process, but oh-so-worth-it and downright satisfying to the visceral needs of a Cook. Butchering, curing, cooking, storing, preparing, eating… I relish every step in the process of making this tender, rich, meaty leg of Goodness.
Duck confit can last for months if stored properly. And the dry cure mix can be adjusted according to one’s taste, my friend Kevin likes to use clove in his confit, another juniper berries. My preference is pretty basic. Play around with the spices, but be sure to keep the salt at about half a tablespoon per leg.
Call me a cornball, but the time-honored tradition that is Confit de Canard stands as one of the Reasons Why the Kitchen is my Home.
CONFIT de CANARD, or DUCK CONFIT
makes 6 legs
INGREDIENTS
6 ea, duck legs, thighs intact
for the dry cure:
3 tbls coarse sea salt
3/4 head of garlic
1 small shallot, sliced thin
1 tbl whole black pepper corn
2 bay leaves, torn
couple sprigs of thyme
2 qts duck fat
DIRECTIONS
Make the dry cure mix. Set aside.
Clean, trim, rinse and pat duck legs dry. Sprinkle dry cure over duck legs evenly. Store the legs in layers in a non-metal container. Place in the the refrigerator, and cure for 24 hours.
The next day: rinse off the duck legs under cold water and pat dry. Place the duck fat into a medium-sized pot and melt over low heat. Once melted, add the duck legs and make sure that they are completely immersed in the fat to ensure even cooking. Keep the heat very low, the simmer should be extremely light, with very few bubbles. Skim the scum off while cooking. Cook for about 2-3 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.
Pull the pot off the heat, and allow duck to cool in the fat. Once cooled, place the legs and fat into an airtight container. The legs should be covered by the fat, ideally by one inch. Store in the fridge up to 6 months.
* Read more on The French Paradox at evalu8.org.
10 comments
Nice. I just did a case of duck legs today! (That’s 64 legs!)
One thing I find helps is classically the duck is salted, pressed with a weight and left overnight. It is then rinsed and left to pellicule for 1-2 days before confitting.
Believe it or not, it really helps.
Jason: Yes, I’ve heard of the pressing down, though I’ve never done it. (I did completely forget about that, thanks for the reminder!) I’ve never heard about the pellicle part except in the smoking application, though. That sounds intriguing, I think I’ll give your technique a try next time around.
Wow, I looooove confit de canard but I’ve never dared to make it myself… Maybe I will now
And I agree with you, a little bit of duck fat every now and then won’t harm anybody, no no.
Miriam: You should totally make it, its so much fun!
We’re just a tad short of enough rendered duck fat to try this…can’t wait. Lovely recipe and site!
ravenouscouple: Thank you! D’Artagnan renders duck fat which can be purchased at some markets in small amounts if you don’t have time to render some yourself (although I’m guessing you knew that already!). Have fun with the confit!
I LOVE duck confit — in cassoulet, or salads, or just about anything. I confess, though, I have never made my own. It’s always seemed a little intimidating. But you make it sound very do-able. I may have to give a whirl yet.
Carolyn Jung: I’m glad I could make it sound not-so-hard to make.
Its definitely easier than making something like mayonnaise or hollandaise, I tell ya. It just takes a long time. But its sooo worth it.
[...] and not much more expensive. The breast is padded with the tastiest fat you can find, and duck leg confit, is pure bliss. The following recipe uses a whole bird, but requires that you cut it into pieces [...]
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