Duck Confit is an adored, age-old French preparation for duck.
This is a traditional Duck Confit recipe thats low-effort andDOESNT require buckets of duck fat!
Welcome back to French Bistro Week!
Goat’s Cheese Salad– French bistro starter
From time to time, I like to dedicate a week of recipes to a theme.
This week, itsFrench Bistro Week!!
The legs are then briefly sizzled in a hot pan or oven until the paper-thin skin is wonderfully crisp.
Goat’s Cheese Salad– French bistro starter
Confit traditionally was done for preservation purposes, allowing the duck to be stored for long periods.
And for me its agame-changer.
For one, the method is incredibly simple.
Today’s Duck Confit for the main withLentil Ragout
Efficient and ideal for making ahead.
Im running out of boxes to tick here!
If youve always wanted to try your hand at Duck Confit, now is the time!
Lemon Tartfor dessert
What doesconfitmean?
The word confit in French means to preserve.
It can apply to different foods, including fruit and vegetables.
The meat can then be stored under the cooking fat for long periods, free from spoilage.
Historically, this preservation technique was a necessity to survive times of scarcity.
Duck Confit, originating from the south-western region of France, is one of the most classic and well-knownconfitfoods.
Duck cut used for Duck Confit
The cut of duck used for Duck Confit areduck legs.
It is the lower leg plus the thigh attached, a poultry cut known as amarylandhere in Australia.
It must be bone-in and with the skin on.
Because it aint Duck Confit without crispy skin!
So for Duck Confit we use duck fat.
The fat can be re-used multiple times and will keep sealed in the freezer for 6 months or longer.
Technically any fat or oil can be used to confit a meat.
The other reason is the flavours are more naturally more harmonious.
So the exact amount you need depends on the size of the duck legs and your roasting pan.
We use a lot of the stuff.
Fresh herbs Thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano and bay leaves.
Do not underestimate the power of these fresh herbs!
They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter.
Overview
Heres an overview of the steps.
Im providing more visuals than usual because I suspect this is not an everyday recipe for most people.
Pouring duck fat over duck legs for Duck Confit
But I promise its straightforward!
Cover and refrigerate for 12 24 hours (no longer is necessary).
Rinse:Brush off the cure.
The duck legs need to be virtually completely submerged
Rinse duck under tap water to clean them, removing all salt and other bits.
Pat dry with paper towels.
You need enough so they are virtually fully submerged.
Cover the duck with baking/parchment paper cut to size so it sits flat on the oil surface.
Press it gently down to remove air bubbles.
Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of foil.Nowyoure ready for slow roasting!
Part 3: Slow-cooking (confit)
Slow-cook:Carefully transfer to the oven.
(Be very careful!
Hot duck fat is dangerous!)
Slow-cook for 8 hours at 100C / 210F (80C fan).
I typically do this overnight.
In an oven this low, I feel perfectly safe snoozing away!
Remove from oven:This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven.
It will look totally unimpressive with pale and flabby skin.
The best is yet to come!
Theres two ways to check:
Method 1 Turn the leg over to check the exposed flesh side.
);Method 2 Bend the duck leg gently on a plate.
It should bend easily when pressure is applied on the joint (see video).
The answer is yes, traditionally Duck Confit would be stored long-term in just a cool place.
In 99.99% of cases it will keep perfectly like this.
If youre comfortable doing this, you’re free to.
The fat will solidify and turn white.
;
To cook:If the duck was frozen, thaw it overnight in the fridge.
Then heat duck gently in the microwave to melt the fat so the duck can be removed.
Proceed with the recipe to crisp up the skin and reheat the duck.
Place the duck on the rack, skin side up.
The water keeps the flesh of the duck ultra moist whilst allowing the skin to crisp up beautifully.
This method of crisping up the skin works far better than the stove-searing methods that other recipes use.
It gives the most even colour and, more importantly, crispy skin all over!
Rotate the pan as needed to make the colour even all over.
There is no need to rest duck because the meat is already cooked.
In fact, the skin loses crispiness if its sitting around.
Crispy skin…..
… and tender, flavour-infused flesh.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Its that magical combination hits my carnivore sweet spot every single time!
The earthy lentils are a perfect match for the rich and gamey duck.
Dessert is coming on Friday.
Life of Dozer
Moving into a temporary rental while my house is undergoing renovations!!
This is pretty much what Dozer spent the whole moving day doing.
(ie Bugger all)
