This is another dish I find to be pure comfort food. It's also a dish I would have been intimidated by three months ago. But in reading some recipes, I discovered it's actually quite simple. It was once a peasant dish that evolved from a need to preserve food, but now it's become a somewhat fancy-pants dish. I realize this is mostly due to the time and planning rather than the technique required to make it. This is truly what slow food is all about.

This was also the first time I hacked a full duck, so I had the feeling I was navigating uncharted territory trying to figure out how best to butcher the legs. It was a bit of a wrestle with a dose of squeamishness.

First you cure the duck legs overnight in salt, garlic and some herbs (I used some organic lavender from great source out in California). In the meantime, you render some duck fat. There's so much to say about duck fat I don't know where to begin. First, how to render it. You remove all the fat and skin of the duck, cover it in water and simmer over low heat for about an hour. The water evaporates and you're left with crispy duck cracklings and fat. When you pass all of this through a cheesecloth, your treasure reveals itself as beautiful liquid gold. You can also munch on the cracklings with a sprinkle of salt.

Now duck fat probably sounds nasty and artery-clogging, but in fact its chemical composition is closer to olive oil than to butter or lard. An article in the New York Times describes on the "French paradox," particularly in the region of Gascony where the majority of their diets revolve around goose and duck fat. Apparently they have the lowest rate of cardiovascular disease in the country. It probably helps that they enjoy a nice glass of red with whatever dose of duck fat they're consuming that day. If I ever go on a diet, it will be of fois gras, duck confit and red wine. I will probably live to be 100.

After curing for a day, you the legs submerged in the fat for 2-3 hours (I went to the gym during this time to work off the cracklings from the night before). Once they're cooked, you can preserve it in the fridge for up to 6 months covered completely in the duck fat. With the remaining fat, you can strain and reuse it to fry up some potatoes or drizzle it on popcorn in place of butter. I love how the fat keeps forever in the freezer. How economical.

My duck is now sitting in the fridge, ready to be reheated and slathered with some lavender honey, served with a side of polenta and an arugula salad.

Recipe: Duck Confit
Adapted from Epicurious
3 tablespoons salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs thyme (or in my case, lavender)
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 duck legs with thighs
4 duck wings, trimmed (optional - traditionally, you confit just the legs)
About 4 cups duck fat (the rendered fat of about 2 ducks)

1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Rinse the salt and seasonings off the duck. Pat dry. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat for up to 6 months.
This is another dish I find to be pure comfort food. It's also a dish I would have been intimidated by three months ago. But in reading some recipes, I discovered it's actually quite simple. It was once a peasant dish that evolved from a need to preserve food, but now it's become a somewhat fancy-pants dish. I realize this is mostly due to the time and planning rather than the technique required to make it. This is truly what slow food is all about.

This was also the first time I hacked a full duck, so I had the feeling I was navigating uncharted territory trying to figure out how best to butcher the legs. It was a bit of a wrestle with a dose of squeamishness.

First you cure the duck legs overnight in salt, garlic and some herbs (I used some organic lavender from great source out in California). In the meantime, you render some duck fat. There's so much to say about duck fat I don't know where to begin. First, how to render it. You remove all the fat and skin of the duck, cover it in water and simmer over low heat for about an hour. The water evaporates and you're left with crispy duck cracklings and fat. When you pass all of this through a cheesecloth, your treasure reveals itself as beautiful liquid gold. You can also munch on the cracklings with a sprinkle of salt.

Now duck fat probably sounds nasty and artery-clogging, but in fact its chemical composition is closer to olive oil than to butter or lard. An article in the New York Times describes on the "French paradox," particularly in the region of Gascony where the majority of their diets revolve around goose and duck fat. Apparently they have the lowest rate of cardiovascular disease in the country. It probably helps that they enjoy a nice glass of red with whatever dose of duck fat they're consuming that day. If I ever go on a diet, it will be of fois gras, duck confit and red wine. I will probably live to be 100.

After curing for a day, you the legs submerged in the fat for 2-3 hours (I went to the gym during this time to work off the cracklings from the night before). Once they're cooked, you can preserve it in the fridge for up to 6 months covered completely in the duck fat. With the remaining fat, you can strain and reuse it to fry up some potatoes or drizzle it on popcorn in place of butter. I love how the fat keeps forever in the freezer. How economical.

My duck is now sitting in the fridge, ready to be reheated and slathered with some lavender honey, served with a side of polenta and an arugula salad.

Recipe: Duck Confit
Adapted from Epicurious
3 tablespoons salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs thyme (or in my case, lavender)
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 duck legs with thighs
4 duck wings, trimmed (optional - traditionally, you confit just the legs)
About 4 cups duck fat (the rendered fat of about 2 ducks)

1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Rinse the salt and seasonings off the duck. Pat dry. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat for up to 6 months.