Kruchten Recipes

Confit de Canard

It is not hard, just long. My take is the bare-bone one, as the sophistication resides in what you do with your confit later. You can flavour your confit in a second step, when you use it, which may be 3 weeks later, so I often dispense from all the all the herbs, garlic etc. you may find in recipes.

Ingredients

  • one whole duck or
  • 4 or 5 duck legs, maybe breasts
  • duck fat, either from your previous batch, or bought in store the first time around
  • Coarse salt, at least 300 g
  • Bay leaves (optional)
  • Ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Cut the duck, keep side all the fat, skin etc.
    image
  2. get the duck fat out of the skins etc. in a pan, filter it with a sieve
  3. Rub duck pieces in coarse salt, put aside for 6 - 12 hours; you may add a bit of dry thyme leaves and black pepper
    image
  4. Occasionaly remove excess water from bowl, and add more salt
  5. Rinse the pieces until running water to remove all salt and thyme
  6. Dry the pieces with towel or paper
  7. Put pieces tightly in a pot, skin down; may add 2-3 bay leaves
  8. Poach (=cook) the duck on duck fat in oven at low temp (=fat just boiling) for 3 hours min. (175°F to 220°F depending on oven)
  9. Fish out the duck from the fat with tongs
  10. Separate the fat from the gelatin that formed in the bottom (maybe used as the basis of a sauce) (remove bay leaves)
  11. Pack the duck in a pot with lid
  12. Cover with pure fat
  13. Keep in fridge until needed

Serving

  • Melt the fat in oven at 170-220°F (Takes half an hour at least)
  • Fish out with tongs the pieces you need
  • In a large frying pan, lightly fry the legs skin down (no need to add oil in the pan!)
  • Serve one leg per person
  • Goes well with small potatoes pre-cooked in water, then fried in duck fat, sprinkled with parsley
  • You can also try our recipe of parmentier de confit de canard

Notes:

  1. Wikipedia has a good explanation of what “confit” is/means.
  2. And these sites have some OK recipes:
    http://www.ochef.com/
    www.epicurious.com/
    www.cuisine-french.com/
  3. Write down on the pot lid the number of pieces left (cannot see this in solid white duck fat)