What to serve with that Quebec Iced Cider?

Why, bien sur, a tender confit of duck, and perhaps a pot of creamy white beans with rosemary.

Confit may sound like something reserved for French chefs and other gourmands, but it’s really a simple technique of slowly braising the tougher cuts of poultry in fat, so that it can be preserved over winter. The resulting duck (or even goose or turkey legs) confit, is an ingredient in classic French dishes, like cassoulet.

Duck confit:

6 duck legs, with thigh (about 2 pounds), skin on

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3 tablespoons sea salt

3 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 large bay leaf, crushed

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 cups virgin olive oil

Separate the thighs from the legs by cutting at the joint. Place the peppercorns in a heavy zippered plastic bag and pound with a meat mallet to coarsely crush. Add the duck, salt, garlic and crushed bay leaf to the bag, and make sure the seasoning is rubbed over all surfaces of the duck.

Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, rinse the duck under cold tap water to remove the excess salt and pat dry with paper towels.

Place the duck in a single layer in a large saute pan, skin side down, and heat over medium heat, just until some of the fat begins to render out into the pan. Add the olive oil and heat, just until the oil begins to bubble. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to very low, and cook slowly for 2-3 hours (you can also place the covered pan in a 200F oven to slowly cook for 2-3 hours). Turn the duck pieces over once during the cooking time. The meat should be very tender.

Remove the meat from the pan, place in a container and pour the cooking fat over the meat. The duck should be completely submerged in fat if you want it to keep. Cover and refrigerate for three days before using or up to 2 weeks. The confit is delicious cold or reheated, but I like to serve it warm with herbed white beans.

Save the fat for frying potatoes, eggs or making more confit - it will keep for a month or two in a covered jar.

TIP: If you have whole ducks, render the fat from any excess skin or bones by heating the pieces slowly in a deep pan over medium low heat, until the skin is brown. Discard the browned bits and save the fat.

White Beans with Rosemary:

1 cup dried white beans, cooked until tender and drained (see tip)

1 thick slice smoky bacon, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken stock

1 small tomato, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the chopped bacon over medium heat until it releases its fat and begins to brown. Add the onion and garlic and stir together until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of olive oil or leftover duck fat if the bacon is especially lean.

Stir in the stock, tomato and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Stir in the beans and rosemary. Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer together for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the warm duck confit. Serves 4.

TIP: If you have a pressure cooker, you can quick soak and cook the dried beans from scratch in 20 minutes. Cover the cup of beans with 4 cups of water, bring the cooker up to high pressure then let stand for 20 minutes. Drain, add more cold water (you can also include half an onion, a few cloves and a sprig of rosemary), bring back to high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Let the pressure drop naturally.

click here for more information on pressure cooking...

©Cinda Chavich

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