Recipe: Duck Confit With Spice Roasted Concord Grapes
Yes, you can make duck confit at home. And then save the rendered fat for other dishes later.
Duck confit sounds like an item you need to source from a high-end gourmet food store, laboriously and skillfully prepared by a brigade of Cordon Bleu or CIA-trained chefs. But in reality it is one of the easiest dishes to make at home once you have located some duck legs and some rendered duck fat. When I translate duck confit to “preserved duck,” the purpose of the undertaking makes immediate sense to me. By first curing the leg(s) in a generous amount of salt, garlic and herbs and then slowly cooking it in its own rendered fat, you are making a powerfully flavorful dish or condiment that can last at least one month when stored in the cooking fat in your fridge. And that makes it a perfect project for this upcoming holiday season. I make a batch this time of year to bridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas. At least one of the legs gets the “rillettes” treatment, one is minced and added to any bean dish in lieu of smoked pork, and the other two are the stars of the show like this recipe I’m sharing with you now. The only equipment you will need is a sturdy Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot with a lid.
Duck Confit with Spice Roasted Concord Grapes
Serves 4
4 duck legs from Moulard ducks (I source mine from La Belle Farm in Ferndale, NY)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 generous grind of fresh black pepper per duck leg
6 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon crushed fresh coriander seed
2 cups rendered duck fat to augment to the rendered fat from the duck legs themselves
1. Brine the duck legs: Combine the garlic, salt, herbs and spices and stir well. Sprinkle evenly over first the meat side of the duck legs and then the fat side with whatever is left over. Lay the seasoned legs in a non-reactive (glass, enamel, porcelain) dish, cover with plastic wrap and let cure in the fridge for 24 hours. You can let the curing stage go longer if you don’t mind a saltier and denser confit. I don’t remove the salt and herb “cure” from the duck before cooking. I like the saltiness that lingers but you can certainly brush it off before the cooking stage if you are concerned about salt.
2. When ready to cook, preheat your cooking vessel over medium heat. Add the duck legs fat/skin side down and add the rendered duck fat. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the dish. Check after 10 minutes to confirm that the duck legs are completely submerged in the fat, turn down the heat to low, keep covered and simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
3. Cool the confit in the cooking vessel, still completely covered in fat, to room temperature before transferring to the fridge with the lid on where you can store it for up to 1 month.
4. When ready to serve the whole duck legs as a main course, remove from the fat and let come to room temperature. Place the duck legs skin side down in a non-stick pan and bring to medium high heat. Gently press on the legs to maximize the contact of the skin with the pan. Heat the legs until the meat is warmed through and the duck skin is browned and crispy — about 8-10 minutes.
5. Serve on polenta or greens like sautéed kale or swiss chard.
Note: Reserve the fat remaining as you draw down your confit larder for other great uses including another batch of confit, duck-fat roasted potatoes, sautéing vegetables for any homemade soups — so many good things! It keeps very well in the freezer for up to 4 months.
For the spiced grapes:
I am a fan of the local Concord or Fox grapes for this dish, but any thicker-skinned, sturdy red grape will do nicely. Keep in mind that the hearty heirloom grapes will have seeds.
1 pint red grapes
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar or white cane sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pcs. whole star anise
4 strips of orange peel
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar or aged Sherry vinegar
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Combine the sugar with the cardamom and cinnamon.Place 4 nice-sized clusteres of grapes in a non-reactive baking pan. Season the grapes evenly with the sugar-spice mixture. Tuck in the star anise pieces and orange peels under the grapes. Roast until the grapes just begin to burst — about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the grapes while still warm with the balsamic vinegar.
2. Cool and serve slightly above room temperature with the duck confit.
