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Duck Confit

Northern Michigan Recipe: Local poultry guru and Great Lakes Culinary Institute Instructor Chef Bob Rodriguez shares a recipe for duck confit.

Associated Recipes: Comfort Food
Category: Main Course
By: Bob Rodriguez
Duck Confit

Photographer: Todd Zawistowski

Move aside turkey, it's time for a new bird to step up to the plate. The French got it right when they introduced duck confit into the world--succulent meat, crispy skin, and flavor through and through. If you want to try a new recipe this holiday season, duck confit makes the perfect poultry substitution that even kids and die-hard turkey-fans will fall in love with. Serve with lentils and arugula for a classic preparation, or with whatever strikes your fancy!

See this recipe in October 2012 Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine!

Ingredients

5 pounds duck legs

72  ounces  (9 cups) rendered duck or   chicken fat

Cure Mix:

3 ounces kosher salt

2 ounces light brown sugar

1 tablespoon quatre épices (mixture of 1  teaspoon black pepper and ½vteaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger)

1 teaspoon dried thyme, ground

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 black peppercorns

Preparation

Trim the legs of excess fat and reserve fat for rendering. Combine ingredients for cure mix in a stainless steel mixing bowl and rub thoroughly over duck legs. Place duck legs in a stainless steel pan, press with a weight, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two days. Remove cured duck legs from refrigerator, rinse under cold water and pat dry. In a medium saucepan warm rendered duck or chicken fat over low heat until liquefied.

Place duck legs in a large stock pot, cover with fat and simmer on medium-low heat for two to three hours until legs are fork tender. Transfer confited duck legs to a stainless steel hotel pan, cover with fat and cool. Store in refrigerator.

Before serving heat 1 tablespoon duck fat in sauté pan over medium-high heat, add duck legs and cook until crisp on the outside and heated through. Serve with braised lentils and arugula.

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