Duck Confit Filling Recipes

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with kosher salt on both sides. Place them in a large resealable bag. Add the lemon zest and slices, garlic, allspice berries, juniper berries and fresh thyme. Seal, and massage the duck legs through the bag until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
• Remove the duck legs from the marinade. Rinse them off and pat dry. Place the rest of the contents of the bag into the bottom of an oven safe dish just large enough to hold the legs in a single layer, preferably enameled cast iron or glass. Arrange the duck legs skin side down in the dish. Pour the duck fat into a small saucepan and warm over low heat until liquid. Pour over the duck legs until they are completely covered. If the legs are not covered, you can top it off with some olive oil. As the legs cook, more fat will be rendered from the skin. Cover the dish with a lid.
• Bake for 6 to 7 hours in the preheated oven, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. Remove the duck legs from the fat and place in a sealable container. You may leave the bones in or remove them. Make sure there is room at the top of the container. Strain all of the solids from the remaining fat and discard the solids. Pour the fat over the duck in the container, covering completely. Seal and allow to come to room temperature. Once the jar is cool, place in the refrigerator and let the duck meat cure for 2 months. Reserve any leftover duck fat for other uses.

DUCK CONFIT SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• For the confit: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Arrange the duck legs in a single layer in a high-sided baking pan. Season the duck heavily with salt and pepper, toss in thyme and garlic. Pour oil over the duck and bake for 2 to 3 hours. Remove the duck from the fat, shred the meat from the bones and set in a bowl.
• To prepare the pancakes: In a bowl or blender, combine flour, salt, eggs, and sesame seeds. Gradually whisk in the milk, the batter should be lump free and the consistency of heavy cream. Add a little water to thin out if necessary. Fold in chopped scallions.
• Coat a 6 or 8-inch skillet with peanut oil or non-stick spray and place over medium heat. Ladle about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the pan and swirl around so it covers the bottom; pour back any excess. The batter will dry before your eyes. Cook for 1 minute until lightly golden but not crisp, then flip over. Remove the pancake to a platter and repeat until all the batter is used.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the shredded duck meat with carrot, scallion, thyme, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, chile paste and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Lay a small amount of the filling in the scallion pancake and roll up. Arrange them on a baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and bake for 10 minutes.

DUCK CONFIT FILLING

Steps:

• HEAT THE OIL in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are golden brown and softened (reduce heat if browning too quickly), 15 minutes. Deglaze the pan with sherry, stirring up browned bits from bottom of pan and cooking until completely evaporated. Fold duck into shallot mixture, then remove from heat and let cool completely. Mix in egg yolks to combine, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 4 hours. Proceed with ravioli recipe on page 373.

DUCK CONFIT, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine shallot, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub all over duck legs, thighs, and wings.
• Arrange duck parts skin side-up in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the seasoning is well absorbed, 24 to 48 hours.
• Rinse off the seasoning and pat the duck dry. Arrange duck in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Let duck stand until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Melt duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour duck fat over the room-temperature duck.
• Bake duck in the preheated oven until tender and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Pour off the duck fat.
• Brush a grill pan with some of the used duck fat and heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Add baked duck; cook in batches until skin is crispy, about 90 seconds per side.

CONFIT DUCK PASTILLA

Steps:

• Heat a large cast-iron pan and add the fat. Cook the onion gently for 5 mins until soft. Add the cinnamon stick, the tied herbs and the duck, and give the pan a good shake.
• Add enough water to the pan to just cover the duck. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 20 mins. Remove the duck to a plate and discard the herbs and cinnamon stick. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce by half. Beat the eggs and the yolks along with half the icing sugar and half the ground cinnamon. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the egg mixture and stir like mad to stop it catching. Simmer on the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a custard-like sauce. Be careful not to overcook or the mix may curdle. Stir through the almonds and leave to cool.
• Shred the duck meat, discarding the skin and bones. Mix with the sauce, add the chopped parsley and coriander, and season well.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with melted butter and layer in the pastry, lightly brushing with melted butter between each layer - leaving enough overhanging so it can be folded to seal the filling. Add the duck filling, then fold over and brush the top with more butter. Bake for 30 mins until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before turning out. Sprinkle with the remaining icing sugar and cinnamon before serving.