{"id":9,"date":"2011-01-14T07:43:03","date_gmt":"2011-01-14T07:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=9"},"modified":"2011-01-15T05:20:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-15T05:20:00","slug":"to-confit-or-not-to-confit-an-existential-question-for-the-duck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=9","title":{"rendered":"To Confit or Not to Confit: An Existential Question for the Duck"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\"\"<\/a>Duck Confit<\/p>\n

It’s crazy that I would start with this recipe. \u00a0But Duck Confit embodies all that I believe about food, life in the kitchen, and supping with others. \u00a0It is also the very first food that Andrew asked to have for his birthday celebration. \u00a0He has seen me cook it, put it away and even serve it at a dinner party. \u00a0He had decided that this was a very special and desirable meal. \u00a0He was absolutely right. \u00a0 If you like to cook, you must try this recipe.\u00a0 Seriously. \u00a0 Get your grocery list out now.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wait\u2026 Are you back?\u00a0 Good.\u00a0 Now write down the ingredients you\u2019ll need and promise yourself that you will get everything as soon as you finish reading.\u00a0 You will thank me if you do!<\/p>\n

Duck Confit (or any confit) is more than a recipe.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fundamental shift in how we experience our food.\u00a0 It\u2019s an opportunity to practice the art of patience as it takes an excessive amount of time to get to the end product.\u00a0 No instant gratification here.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not the point.<\/p>\n

Desire and pleasure are products of delayed gratification.\u00a0 What we can\u2019t have, we desire most. The longer it takes to get, the more pleasurable the experience is when it finally happens. This principle, once understood, can be the basis of fulfillment in many areas of our lives.\u00a0 One only has to look to our romantic relationships to see that this is true.\u00a0 The chase, the courting, the honeymoon are all relics of a past that all cultures have developed to keep things interesting.\u00a0 In today\u2019s society we want it all fast and are the lesser for it.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s food or romance, we have lost the art of waiting, flirting, of letting desire build, and even commitment.\u00a0 This sad state of affairs has led to a rampant divorce rate and “billions served” at Mc Donalds. \u00a0I\u2019m not sure which one is worse for society.<\/p>\n

As an antidote, I give you Duck Confit.\u00a0 Think of it as Karma Sutra for the palette.<\/p>\n

Duck confit takes time, but it\u2019s not a lot of work.\u00a0 The results are sublime: Earthy and tender,\u00a0 assertive yet gentle,\u00a0 sensual and pleasurable.\u00a0 Served strategically, the divorce rate may, in fact, decline.<\/p>\n

Once you master duck, the same principles apply to many other types of meat and even vegetables. \u00a0 Originally it was a method of preserving meats for the winter larder.\u00a0 Done properly, most confit will last from 2 to 6 months in the fridge or cold basement if you have one.\u00a0 Today it\u2019s most often experienced at a restaurant, but it will never be as good as homemade.\u00a0 Restaurants don\u2019t have the time to let it sit long enough to develop its optimum flavor.<\/p>\n

I tend to confit twice ayear.\u00a0 Once at the end of summer so I\u2019ll have it for fall and winter meals and again during Lent. \u00a0During Lent each year, Andrew and I give up meat.\u00a0 It was Andrew\u2019s idea about four years ago and is now a treasured family tradition. The Lenten season provides us a time to examine how and what we eat in a way not normally experienced the rest of the year.\u00a0 However, every year I have a freezer full of meats that we can\u2019t get through before Fat Tuesday.\u00a0 What I do now is take all the chicken, turkey, and pork and confit it away until after Easter.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot of slow cooking for a few days and the house smells of lard and duck fat far into lent, but the meals that come from it months later are some of our favorite of the year.<\/p>\n

This recipe has been developed over years of trying different spices and seasonings.\u00a0 I find it to be versatile and one that lends itself to a wide variety of uses.\u00a0 The most indulgent way is to take out a piece of leg, fry it until it\u2019s crispy, and plate it with just about any starch.\u00a0 Creamy mashed potatoes or polenta work well, but a pot of richly stewed navy or French flagolet beans makes for a magical pairing.\u00a0 You will also need some on hand to make the southern French, one pot wonder: cassoulet.\u00a0 And the duck fat you have left over comes in handy for braises, slow cooked onions, soups, beans, and duck fat French fries.<\/p>\n

Now keep your promise, go shopping, and make Duck Confit this weekend!\u00a0 You won\u2019t regret it.\u00a0 I promise.<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n

1 whole duck cut up or 6 duck legs (about 4 to 5 pounds)<\/p>\n

Lard or duck fat (see note)<\/p>\n

4 to 5 tablespoons Kosher salt<\/p>\n

Lots of freshly ground pepper (a tsp or more to taste)<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried) chopped<\/p>\n

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried<\/p>\n

a couple of bay leaves, crushed up<\/p>\n

2 cloves, ground with a mortar and pestle<\/p>\n

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced<\/p>\n

1\/3 cup water<\/p>\n

If you are using a whole duck, cut the duck up into serving pieces. \u00a0If it comes with the heart and gizzard and you are so inclined… \u00a0keep it handy. \u00a0Remove all the excess fat from the carcass and save it for a bit later.<\/p>\n

Mix all the herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, cloves, and bay leaves. \u00a0You can either chop them up all together or grind them a bit with a mortar and pestle. \u00a0Rub this mixture all over the duck pieces (even the heart\/gizzard if you dare) and put all the pieces into a bowl. \u00a0I like to use a bowl that will fit my plates on top and I put a few on top to weight it down. (See photo) cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. \u00a0I like a stronger flavored and saltier confit, so I let mine go for the 48.<\/p>\n

Now take all the excess duck fat, cut it up into pieces and put it in to a pot with the water and either put it in an oven at 300 for a few hours or slowly cook over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour to render the fat. \u00a0You will be left with crispy duck skin and beautifully clear duck fat. \u00a0Strain the fat and refrigerate until ready to use in a couple of days. \u00a0Salt the cracklings and serve them on a salad or pamper your dog!<\/p>\n

After a day or two, uncover the duck pieces and rinse them in warm water and dry with a paper towel.<\/p>\n

Heat your rendered duck fat in a pan large enough to hold all the pieces. \u00a0I like to use a large deep sauce pan or a large Dutch oven. \u00a0Add the duck to the pan and saute for about 10 minutes to render more fat. \u00a0You may have rendered enough fat to cover the duck, but most likely you will have to add lard to bring the level of fat to cover the duck pieces. \u00a0Turn down the heat and gently simmer the duck for about 1 1\/2 hours or more. \u00a0You have to feel this out a bit. \u00a0You want the duck to be soft, succulent, and ALMOST falling off the bone. \u00a0However, you don’t want it to actually get to this point, as it makes cooking it later on more difficult. \u00a0I have missed this point on more than one occasion and it’s not a disaster. \u00a0It’s just that you want to be able to pull out a piece months later and fry it up in a pan in one piece. \u00a0If you do over cook, you will have wonderful confit for salads, cassoulet, and other wonderful.<\/p>\n

Once the confit is ready, take it out of the oven and remove the duck to a cookie sheet or plate to cool. \u00a0Strain some of the fat (about an inch) into the container in which you are going to store the confit in. \u00a0Leave it in the fridge to solidify while you let the duck cool. \u00a0I like ceramic crocks, but wide-mouth glass jars work well too. \u00a0When the duck is cool, place it in the container and strain the rest of the fat into the containers to completely cover the duck. \u00a0At this point you can top it and place it in the fridge. \u00a0If you used a clear jar, \u00a0wrap it in butcher paper, tie it up with a string, and place it in the fridge. \u00a0Now comes the hard part. \u00a0Don’t touch it for at least two weeks. \u00a0 I usually leave it for a couple of months and often go longer.<\/p>\n

When you are ready to use it, take it out of the fridge and set it aside for a couple of hours or set it in a gentle bath of warm water. \u00a0This will allow you to pull the duck out of the fat without damaging it. \u00a0Now you can use it as you want. \u00a0 My favorite way is to fry it up skin side down, until it’s very crispy. \u00a0The contrast between the crispy skin and succulent tender meat is heaven. \u00a0The left over fat should be strained and used throughout the year for duck fat roasted potatoes, braising onions, even seasoning your cast iron. \u00a0You get the idea. \u00a0Provecho!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You have to forgive the photo placements. \u00a0I am sure I’ll figure out Word Press soon enough.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/a><\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Duck Confit It’s crazy that I would start with this recipe. \u00a0But Duck Confit embodies all that I believe about food, life in the kitchen, and supping with others. \u00a0It is also the very first food that Andrew asked to have for his birthday celebration. \u00a0He has seen me cook it, put it away and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}