Name: Duck confit — a classic French dish from Gascony, in which duck legs are salted, seasoned with herbs, and slowly cooked in their own fat, then stored in the fat. The result is meltingly tender meat with crisp skin. It is the key ingredient of cassoulet.
Description
Confit comes from the French confire, meaning to preserve, and the technique dates back before refrigeration, when meat was cooked in fat and stored under it to keep for months. Duck confit is a signature dish of south-west France, and is typically served with potatoes fried in the duck fat, a green salad, or lentils.
To make it, duck legs are cured with salt, garlic, thyme and pepper for 12 to 24 hours, rinsed, and then gently simmered in duck fat at around 90 to 100°C for 2 to 3 hours. They are then crisped under a grill or in a pan before serving. Canned and vacuum-packed duck confit are widely sold.
Main nutrition value
Duck is a good source of protein, iron, selenium, niacin and B vitamins, but is considerably fattier than chicken or turkey, because of the thick layer of skin and fat. Duck confit is a very rich dish, high in fat and also quite salty because of the curing.
How best to be consumed
Duck confit is a rich dish, eaten in small portions.
- Remove a leg from the fat, wipe off the excess, and crisp skin-side down in a hot pan, or under a grill, for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve with a sharp salad, lentils or sautéed greens to balance the richness.
- Shred the meat into cassoulet, pasta, rillettes, tarts or pancakes.
- Heat until steaming hot (at least 74°C) before serving.
- Keep confit refrigerated under its fat, and use within the date.
Overconsumption could cause…
Duck confit is very rich, and best as an occasional treat.
- High saturated fat and calories from the thick layer of duck skin and fat, which can be removed or drained off.
- Raised LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk from the saturated fat in fattier cuts, skin and processed products, so choose lean cuts and trim visible fat.
- High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, particularly in cured, canned and processed products. This applies to the curing salt.
- Food poisoning from Salmonella and Campylobacter, which are common on raw poultry, so cook it to 74°C, avoid washing raw poultry (which spreads bacteria), and keep it away from ready-to-eat food.
- Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since meat and especially organ meats are high in purines.
Wikipedia — Confit, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confit
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