Duck confit
Confit duck legs - Serve 2 - This beautiful classic dish is extremely simple to realize but the real trick is keeping the fat at a constant temperature during the cooking process. Classically, the legs are not browned before hand and the cooking temperature is at about 70ºC to 80ºC (since the intention is to preserve the legs).
However, this recipe is designed to be served immediately. Therefore, the salting time is shorter then from a classic method, the legs are browned before cooking and the temperature of the fat is higher so the skin remains crisp for serving. Unused confit duck legs can be covered with melted duck fat and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Ingredients:
2 Duck legs
4 Tbsp. Coarse salt
2-3 c. Duck fat
- Using a sharp knife, score the fat layer that is covering the legs.
- Place the legs skin side down into a dish and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours.
- Rinse the legs under cold running water and dry pad.
- Place about 2 cups of duck fat into a deep saucepan and gently heat up.
- In the meantime, sear the two legs on the skin only to crispy golden brown.
- Place the legs into the melted fat (add more fat to cover the legs if needed) and cook on gentle heat for about 1½ hours at about 80ºC, then, increase the temperature to about 114C to 115C until the meat is loose and soft when inserting a knife in the flesh.
- Remove the legs and dry with a paper towel to remove excess fat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.