A very traditional French dish, Duck Confit is salt brined duck legs and thighs which are slow cooked until falling-off-the-bone and fabulously rich and delicious, baked while bathed in their own beautiful umami fats. Then the skin is crisped in the broiler, producing both glossy meat and crackling skin. This is our absolute favorite of all dishes using birds.
We make a gravy from the wonderfully savory and intense au jus provided by the duck drippings, aromatic from the herbs. In every California home we’ve lived in, we immediately plant the herbs of Provence all over our yard and in all our clay planters… French lavender, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint and other aromatic herbs. This feast of Duck Confit combines these haunting flavors with the rich wild taste of duck, seared and packed with umami. And the juices that aren’t used in the gravy are allowed to cool, giving us gorgeous golden duck fat flavored with the herbs of Provence.
Duck fat is more healthy than many other cooking oils, and it crisps meats and potatoes amazingly well. It’s delicate rich taste makes it the perfect replacement for butter when you are looking for a savory flavor. And for frying, it doesn’t smoke or break down like many other oils. Along with olive oil, duck fat is our favorite oil when we aren’t using butter. Try it, you’ll love the wild flavors and evocative aromas.
Ingredients…
6 duck legs quarters or 2 whole ducks split in half, we often use ducks from Maple Leaf Farms (you can substitute roasting chickens or Cornish Game Hens)
2 large onions, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 entire garlic head, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, stems removed
1 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup Herbs de Provence
2 teaspoons salt and pepper
Herbs de Provence…
Finely chop together equal portions of fresh lavender, thyme, rosemary, Italian parsley and sage.
Gravy
Drippings and vegetables from cooked duck, food-milled into a liquid
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sauted Cremini mushrooms (or porcini)
Prep Work…
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.
In a large roasting pan, make a bed of chopped onion, celery, peeled whole garlic cloves and Italian parsley. Sprinkle in thyme leaves and crushed up bay leaves.
Puncture the duck skin all over with a fork. Rub salt on to the duck skin and the flesh underneath the skin, as well as black pepper.
On each leg quarter (or parts of a whole duck), make little pockets by separating the skin from the flesh and stuff them with Herbs de Provence.
Cooking…
Lay the duck on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil, return to oven. Slow cook at 275 degrees for 3 1/2 hours.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes. You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate the cooked meat overnight, wrapping it in foil.
Carefully remove duck from vegetables and place on a foil-lined cooking sheet. Set aside. Try to spoon as much of the duck fat out of the pan as possible. Strain, place in jar and set aside.
Pour the cooked vegetable contents into a food mill, using the screen with the smallest holes. You will transform this mixture into a lovely, aromatic au jus for your gravy.
Gravy from au jus with sautéd mushrooms…
Pour the food-milled au jus into a 12 inch sauté pan and keep the heat between low to medium-low. Add 1/2 stick of butter (2 ounces) and 1/2 cup of rich chicken broth.
After the butter has dissolved, use a whisk to SLOWLY add pinches of flour and stir continuously until the gravy has a nice even consistency – no clumps and not too thick. The key is to keep the temperature in the pan just below simmering. Salt and pepper to taste.
In another 12 inch sauté pan, or cast iron skillet, sauté the sliced mushrooms in duck fat or olive oil until they are browned, about 12 minutes. After the mushrooms release their waters and are browned, sprinkle them with porcini powder, if you can acquire it, or just buy dried porcini from the supermarket and grind it into a powder with a spice mill. Add the cooked mushrooms to the hot gravy.
Just before serving, drizzle some duck fat over the duck and broil it in the oven until its skin is crispy.
We like to serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, or sauted French green beans with porcini for an unforgettable umami bomb feast.
