confit de canard (duck confit)

The 15th recipe I attempted in 2013 -- maybe not. I prepared it 5 weeks in on 20th December. Was supposed to be our Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner. But then everyone fell sick in turns and duck confit isn't exactly the healthier meal choice for patient I guess?

The duck confit recipe is "Confit de Canard" from "Ballymaloe Cookery Course" by Darina Allen. To those who doesn't know her yet, Darina Allen is said to be the Julia Child in Ireland. Her Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland is one of the top culinary institute in Europe. You may wonder if she's related to Rachel Allen, the Irish chef who has published a few popular cookbooks and had her own cooking series on BBC. Yes. Indeed they are related. Rachel Allen is Darina Allen's daughter-in-law and herself was a graduate from Ballymaloe Cookery School as well. I followed the recipe pretty closely except I preserved 6 instead of 4 duck legs.

What I used:

(Duck confit for 6) 6 duck legs / 3 cloves of garlic, halved / 2T sea salt / 1t freshly cracked black peppercorns / a pinch of nutmeg powder / a few sprigs of thyme leaves and parsley (10g each) / 1 crumbled bay leaf / 1200g goose fat / 1.5 bay leaf / 2 sprigs thyme / 2 parsley sprigs / 10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
(New potatoes for 2 as side dish) 6 new potatoes / 2 Tbsp goose fat / nutmeg  power / dried rosemary / sea salt.

What I did: (Adapted from "Confit de Canard" in Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Course)

Cut every scrap of fat off the duck / Rub the duck legs all over with 3 cloves of garlic mixed with salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme and bay leaf / sprinkle the duck legs sparingly with the salt mixture and put into a baking pan / Cover and leave overnight in fridge for 48 hours (can left for 24-72 hours) / Wash the cure off the duck legs, dry and put them into a pot of melted goose fat - there should be enough to cover the duck pieces / Bring to the boil, add the remaining herbs and garlic / Simmer on a low heat until the duck is very tender (I used about 2.5 hours) till a chopstick can easily go through the thickest part of the leg with no resistance / Remove the duck legs from the fat. Strain it, leave it to rest for a few minutes and then pour the fat off the meat juices / When the duck is cold pack into stock bags or earthenware crock or jar / Pour the cool fat over so that the pieces are completely submerged / Store in the fridge until needed (leave for at least a week to mature. or it can be kept up to 3 months in fridge or an year in freezer) / When needed take the duck legs out, scrap most of the fat, melt about 2 tbsp on a saucepan / Saute for about 5-6 minutes, skin down / Flip the side and briefly heat another side for about 3-4 minutes / Wash and halve 6 smallish new potatoes / Coat with melted goose fat generously on a saucepan before baking at 220C for about 10 minutes or till golden brown / Served duck confit with new potatoes.

What I felt:
After I took out the stock bags from fridge and scrapped out most goose fat, I saw 3 pathetically looking duck legs. Grey and pale. I was a bit unsure. But a quick saute did energize and revive them. They looked so much better afterward. And they did live up to its name of being one of the most classic French cuisine. Under the crispy skin was some very tender and flavoursome duck. The slow cooking in goose fat with thyme and parsley definitely gave the duck some unique flavour which can't be found in ordinary sauteed duck legs. To be short: Very flavoursome. Could be a bit tedious to work with goose fat (though they smell absolutely divine) but other than that it's a surprisingly easy dish for a French classic (C'mon. Think about beef bourguignon or coq au vin which usually takes 5-6 hours to cook. This Confit de Canard is just a piece of cake).

How good was it? 7/10 (pretty good. very flavoursome. but slightly saltier than I hope for)

How easy was it? 6/10 (It's actually very easy but took quite lots of time and work)

How economical was it? 3/10 6/10 (Oh, please don't even make me started. it's not economical at all. 6 duck legs cost over £10. And it's another £10 for goose fat - yes, goose fat is expensive although you can reuse the leftover to cook other stuff such as potatoes. Together with the herbs, it'd be about £24 for 6. Huh? Means it's just £4 per person. Then maybe it's not that expensive?)

Will I make this again? Not in near future. It's a bit too much fat to handle. Maybe next Christmas or the Christmas after next?