A warming winter recipe – Duck Confit
Main Course · Martine Bertin-Peterson · Poultry · Provencal Recipes · TasteI held a terrific Goût et Voyage cooking class/dinner party this past Saturday night. My clients have a beautiful home and were gracious hosts. Our meal started with tapenade noire on baguette slices and Champagne. The salad featured wine poached pears, endive, gorgonzola and walnuts with a pear vinaigrette. The main course starred duck confit accompanied by potato celery root puree and glazed baby carrots. A delicious Chevalier d’Anthelme Côtes du Rhône accompanied the entrée. We closed out the meal with a light fruit tart for dessert.
Duck confit is such a wonderful dinner party entree. It can (and should!) be prepared 2-3 days in advance. The keys to successful duck confit are good quality duck legs (order yours from a reputable butcher) and completely submerging the legs in duck fat for their long, slow bake in the oven.
Duck Confit
This recipe is delicious as the duck becomes tender through the long slow cooking process. This is not a meal you can make in a hurry, plan to start 2-3 days in advance for the best results.
Ingredients
- 6 duck legs
- kosher salt
- Peppercorns
- 9 cloves garlic peeled
- 6 large bay leaves
- 2-3 tubs duck fat D’Artagnan is a readily available US source
Instructions
- Sprinkle duck legs with 2 TBS kosher salt.
- Sprinkle the bottom of a glass pan with 1 TBS cracked pepper corns. Lay 3 duck legs skin side down.
- Place 3 garlic cloves and 2 bay leaves on each duck leg.
- Lay the other 3 duck legs on top of the first three, sandwich style.
- Tightly wrap the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse each duck leg under cool water to remove most of the salt.
- Reserve the garlic and bay leaves.
- Place the garlic, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon cracked pepper corns on the bottom of a pan just large enough to hold the duck legs in one layer.
- Lay the duck legs skin-side up on top of the aromatics.
- In a glass bowl, heat the duck fat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high until the fat has melted. Be sure to cover the bowl to avoid splatters!
- Pour the melted duck fat over the duck legs, submerging the duck legs completely, and place in the pre-heated oven.
- Cook the duck legs for 8-10 hours. To serve immediately, carefully remove the duck legs from the fat and place on a broiler rack/pan.
- Broil for 3-5 minutes until skin is crisp. The duck legs may be kept refrigerated, in the fat, for up 5 days.
- To serve, re-heat the duck legs for 1 hour in a 225F oven and proceed as above to crisp skin.
Notes
Note: Strain the duck fat into a clean plastic tub or glass jar. The duck fat keeps refrigerated or frozen for 3 months. Use it to cook potatoes, sauté mushrooms, etc.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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2 Comments
I love your recipes. They always come out delicious. Thank you.
Thank you!