Go Back
Print

Confit de Canard

Cuisine French

Ingredients

  • 2 duck legs and 2 breasts If using a whole duck, save carcasses for Orange Reduction. See recipe below
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 8 cups of rendered duck fat
  • kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp finely crumbled dried thyme
  • 1 Turkish bay leaf finely crumbled

For the Orange Reduction

  • 1 duck carcass
  • Caramel made from made with 4 oz of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water brought to a boil
  • 2 oranges

Instructions

  1. Mix all the spices together and sprinkle them evenly over the legs and breast. Lightly coat legs and breast all over with kosher salt. Set them in a flat, glass baking dish with the garlic cloves, cover with plastic wrap, and cure them in the refrigerator for 36 hours.
  2. Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Drain and discard all the liquid from the baking dish. Remove from baking dish all duck meat and garlic cloves and pat dry. Clean baking dish. Return the legs and garlic to the dish and cover with the duck fat. Bake until the garlic cloves have turned a deep golden color, which will take 2 to 2-½ hours. Let the meat cool in the fat until it can safely be transferred to a large canning jar. Strain the fat through a cheese cloth and pour enough over the meat to cover it by at least an inch. Allow to cool completely and then store as is in the refrigerator, sealed under the duck fat for at least 24 hours.

To Reheat:

  1. Remove the cold duck fat from the breast and legs by scraping off excess. Place on a baking sheet and roast in oven for 10 minutes till the skin is brown and crispy.

For the Orange Reduction:

  1. Roast duck carcass in 300°F oven for 30 minutes. Remove carcass and place in large pot with cold water until body is fully submerged. Let boil for 2 hours. Remove all solid items and discard. I like to use a chinoise which is a conical strainer used for making perfectly smooth soups and sauces. Once you have your clean duck stock, pour into a sauce pan, add caramel and juice of 2 oranges. Reduce till you get a thick consistency. If you would like a thicker consistency, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch diluted with ½ teaspoon of water and then bring back up to boil.