Preparation: 15 mins / Cooking time: 20 mins

For 4 persons:

• A tin of  Confit Duck x6 legs from Confit de France Delicatessen Shop
• 100 g of butter
• 3 Shallots
• 3 large Tomatoes

  

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• 2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
• Bread crumbs
• A tin of  Duck Foie Gras 130 g from Confit de France Delicatessen Shop
• 250 cl of Milk
• 1 kg of potatoes
• Lettuce
• Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper

Cooking instructions:

1. Dice the tomatoes in small cubes and cook for 15-20 mins in a small pot with the fresh Thyme (you can use Rosemary instead according to your liking) to reach the consistency of a tomato coulis. Remove the sprigs of Thyme when ready.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut in rough cubes. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 10mns.
3. Place the tin of Confit duck legs in large pot with hot water for 10mns in order to soften the duck fat as this will make the process of removing the Confit duck legs from the tin much easier.
4. Separate the meat of the Confit Duck legs from the skin and bones, then shred.
5. Add a tablespoon of Duck fat into a large pot and fry the finely cut shallots under low heat; stir often until the shallots are soft and blanched. Add the shredded Confit Duck meat and Foie gras. Stir together and keep warm under low heat.
6. Boil the milk and butter together with a small amount of grated nutmeg, then add to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes and stir until reaching the desirable consistency.
7. Pre-heat the oven (Gas mark 6/7 or 200C°).
8. In a medium size oven proof casserole (alternatively use individual serving casseroles for a more fancy presentation), make a first layer with the Duck meat mix, then poor the tomato coulis and spread evenly to form a second layer. Add the potatoes to make the third layer and finally add the breadcrumbs on top.
9. Place the oven proof casserole(s) on the top shelve and cook for 10 mins.
10. Serve with lettuce and a balsamic dressing.

I hope you will enjoy this very earthy dish.

            Laurent …

Preparation: 15 mins / Cooking time: 30 mins

For 6 persons:

• A tin of Confit Duck x6 legs from Confit de France Delicatessen Shop
• 6 large potatoes
• 200 g of cream (light preferably)
• 200 g of Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 g of fresh chives

Cooking instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven (Gas mark 6/7 or 200C°).
2. Clean the potatoes and place them in a tray on medium shelve of the oven. Cooking time will vary depending on type and size of potatoes but cooking time should be between 20 and 30mns. The Potatoes are ready when they can be pierced easily with a long knife.
3. This step is optional and should be followed if the tin of Confit Duck was left in a cold storage prior to cooking. Place the tin of Confit duck legs in large pot with hot water for 10mns in order to soften the duck fat as this will make the process of removing the Confit duck legs from the tin much easier.
4. Remove the Confit Duck legs from the tin and place them skin up into a large non stick pan. Cook under medium heat for about 15-20mns.
5. Poor the cream into a medium size pot and cut the Gorgonzola cheese in small dices and add to the cream into the pot. Bring the mix to the boil and reduce immediately to low heat. Stir regularly for about 10-15mns with a wooden spoon. There is no need for salt as the Cheese and the Confit Duck legs are already salted.
6. Clean the Chives under running water, pat dry and cut in small sections. Add the Chives into the cream once the sauce is ready to be served.
7. Serve into warm plates with Confit Duck legs and the jacket potatoes split open and served smothered with the Gorgonzola sauce. You can also add some green leafs / sliced baby tomatoes with a balsamic dressing.

I hope you will enjoy.

          Laurent …

Preparation: 15 mins / Cooking time: 20 mins

For 6 persons:

• 6 legs of Confit Duck from Confit de France Delicatessen Shop
• 1 red cabbage
• 1 Savoy cabbage
• 2 table spoons of Duck Fat from the tin of Confit Duck.
• Salt, pepper

Cabbage – cooking instructions:

1. Remove outer leaves from cabbages. Cut finely but keep the cabbages separate. Wash and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water in two different pots. Strain the water fully when the cabbages are cooked.
2. Divide the Duck fat between two pots and melt. Add each cabbage in a pot and stir. Leave to cook for 15 minutes into a large pan under medium heat. Add Salt and Pepper to your taste (mind the salt as the Duck Fat is already high in salt content).

Confit Duck - cooking instructions:

Remove Confit legs from the tin and remove excess fat.

• Hob: Place Confit legs into saucepan. Leave to cook under medium heat, turning occasionally until golden brown.
• Oven: Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 6/200c˚. Place Confit legs skin side up into roasting tin on trivet/grid to allow excess fat to run off. Cook on top shelf for 20 minutes.

Serve with the Confit Duck legs placed on top of the two cabbages in warm plates – looks pretty !

Another variant of this dish consists in frying small pieces of bacon/rasher and adding them to the cabbages at the end with a small bit of soy sauce instead of the salt for the seasoning.

I hope you will enjoy this very savoury dish.

      Laurent …

This potatoes recipe is a true favourite from South West France. The potatoes are “fondantes” and not too greasy – they will do wonders served with the Confit Duck.

Preparation: 10 mins / Cooking time: 35 mins

For 4 persons:

• 800g Potatoes
• 100g Duck Fat
• 2 garlic gloves
• 5 stalks of parsley
• Salt, pepper
• 1 tin of Confit Duck x4 legs from Confit de France Delicatessen Shop

Potatoes - preparation:

1. Peal the potatoes and wash. Cut them into thin slices (2 cm thickness or about) and dry in a clean cloth.
2. Melt half of the Duck fat into a large pan under medium heat. Spread the potatoes slices into the pan and cook for 10 mins – shake often. (You may also consider pre-powerboiling the potatoes for a few minutes in order to speed-up the cooking).
3. Add salt and pepper when the potatoes are becoming golden brown. Add the remaining of the Duck Fat into the pan, cover and cook for another 15 mins.
4. Turn carefully the potatoes with a spatula.
5. Peal the two garlic gloves. Finely chop the Garlic and Parsley and mix the two together in a little container. Add the mix in the pan in between the potatoes. Add Salt and Pepper to your taste.
6. Cover the pan and cook for another 10 mins under low to medium heat.

Confit Duck - cooking instructions:
Remove Confit legs from the tin and remove excess fat.
- Hob: Place Confit legs into saucepan. Leave to cook under medium heat, turning occasionally until golden brown.
- Oven: Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 6/200c˚. Place Confit legs skin side up into roasting tin on trivet/grid to allow excess fat to run off. Cook on top shelf for 20 minutes.

I hope you will enjoy this very traditional dish from South West France.

      Laurent …

So what is Confit then ?

In general words, Confit (French) is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavour and preservation, and then sealed.

Confit is a specialty of Gascony, France. 

Historically, the Duchy of Gascony extended across the South West of France in the form of a square, from the river Garonne (and Toulouse), down to the Pyrenees, across to the Atlantic Ocean and up as far as Bordeaux and the river Gironde, but excluding the counties of Bearn and the Pays Basque (Pyrenees Atlantiques Departement)

Confit Duck 2 legs

The fat seals and preserves the meat and is discarded before serving. Once preserved and pasteurised as per the Confit Duck range available from the Confit de France online Delicatessen shop at www.confitdefrance.com, the tins can be stored for a few years in your larders or presses.

Confit of goose (confit d’oie) and duck (confit de canard) are usually prepared from the legs of the bird. The meat is salted with herbs, and slowly cooked submerged in its own rendered fat, in which it is then preserved by allowing it to cool and storing it in the fat. Meat Confits when not served on its own, are also making their way in many other well known dishes from the South West of France such as Cassoulet.  

Confit country is divided roughly into regions where one type of meat prevails. Goose confit is associated with the Béarn and Basque regions with their classic specialties of cassoulet and garbure, hearty and earthy dishes of confit and beans. Perigord region features duck confit, often with potatoes and truffles. Non-waterfowl meats are frequently treated to the confit process, but are not classically considered true confits. The French refer to ‘true’ confits as “duck confit” (confit de canard) or “goose confit” (confit d’oie); other meats poached in duck or goose fats are considered “en confit.” For example, chicken cooked in goose fat is called poulet en confit.

As with many peasant dishes which find their roots in traditional and ancient methods of preparation, Confits are now considered as luxurious. Confits are still relatively unknown to the common public in Ireland and are found in exclusive restaurants and a handful of Gastro pubs. Confits and Confit Duck more particularly are on the up-rise and are surfing a culinary revolution or evolution should I say to be more precise.

Confit Duck is very popular in France, particularly coming close to the Festive season. The Confit Duck meat is exquisitely rich and melts in your palate, no wonders why a tin of Confit Duck is almost virtually found in every French family.

Given its taste and ease of preparation which only requires for the meat to be re-heated in an oven or a pan, I see no reason why Confit Duck should not a become a favourite in Irish homes.

I hope you will enjoy Duck Confit as much as I do.

 Laurent …

We launched our Confit de France online Delicatessen shop earlier this month at www.confitdefrance.com, the first true online Delicatessen e-shop solution in Ireland that delivers to you Quality products from the South West France such as Confit Duck (Confit of Canard), Foie Gras, Patés and a selection of Gourmet Meals such as Cassoulet, Coq au vin and Duck with orange, direct from French Award winning producers.

We are now proud to launch a new Blog and RSS service that we hope will bring even more value to you by keeping you abreast with our latest offers, products introductions, recipes & tips as well as a series of articles about South West France food and living.

We are hoping that the information added to our blog site and delivered to you live via our RSS subscription will open your heart to the French way of living in South West France.

We love our products and Confit Duck in particular; we would like to hear from you – please share your comments, tips or recipes and contribute to the culinary revolution in Ireland that is Confit Duck.

We are now looking forward to hearing from you all.

Regards.

            Confit de France Store Manager …