The Story Behind the Duck: Yes, I said a “Quick” duck confit. A traditional preparation can take a weekend, but no one has the time for that. I learned how to speed up the process while attending a hands on chef’s course in New York City. Ever since, I’ve been a bit obsessed with duck. It’s a lot more versatile than people think and it lends itself to a vast array of different flavors. Sweet, savory, spicy…it all works beautifully with duck. This recipe will go into the basics of making a quick duck confit paired with a spicy pineapple Thai curry.
Description:
Pure decadence. Luxury comfort food. Fall off the bone duck confit with crispy, salty skin sits upon a sweet and spicy coconut based, pineapple curry. If you don’t want to add the curry, don’t. Duck confit is amazing on it’s own. Save some duck fat and roast some duck fat potatoes as a great side.
Taste profile:
- Texture: Crispy skin and buttery, velvety, super tender fall off the bone DUCK. Very rich.
- Flavor: Salty, buttery duck cut by a spicy sweet curry.
Expertise and Time Required:
Medium. 2-3 hours.
Tip: Fresh duck legs are available at most butchers. I use the larger Hudson Valley Moulard duck legs. If you are in NYC, check out Ottamenlli & Sons on Bleecker and 7th ave. It’ll run you about $40 bucks for 6 large, fresh duck legs. They also carry duck fat, but for this recipe, you will be rendering your own :). If time is on your side, you can cook the duck legs on the absolute lowest heat setting your burner will operate at (think pilot light). You will need to let them simmer on super low heat for a full day swimming in duck fat. My quick version is a lot less time intensive and still makes for an incredibly delicious dish, and you don’t need to buy duck fat!
Serving Size: 2 duck legs for 2 people. Just double the amounts for 4 people, etc.
Ingredient List: If you have some of these ingredients already, look at the cooking steps, you may not need to buy much. Also, if you don’t have some of the curry ingredients, it’s ok, you can leave a few out. Having a very solid pan (cast iron) and large volume heavy pot (dutch oven) are essential for this dish.
- 2 fresh, large duck legs
- a few fresh or dry bay leaves
- Koscher or Maldon (preferred) salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric, cumin, chili powder
- 1/4 of a fresh pineapple, diced
- 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream if you prefer a thicker curry
- 1 tsp of palm sugar
- 2 shallots or 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 stock of fresh lemon grass (chopped), or you can use the canned lemon grass or even the dried powder
- 4 thai chilies, chopped (or 2 fresh jalapeños)
- 1 inch piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 kaffir lime leaves or 1 tsp of grated lime zest
- 1 tbsp brown soy sauce
- Rice (optional)
Tip: If you are leaving out some of the ingredients, just taste as you go and substitute any seasonings you think would help.
Step 1: Prep the duck
Poked and Salted!
Use a sharp, small skewer to make tiny pokes (Jacquarding) into the duck skin careful not to drive the skewer into the meat. Be consistent and frequent so the duck fat is porous (poke a lot of holes!). Salt and pepper the duck liberally.
Step 2: Render the duck fat
Low and slow will render the most fat
Put a cast iron skillet or dutch oven on medium low heat. Immediately add the duck legs skin side down. The duck will begin to sizzle and render fat. When you hear the sizzle, lower the heat. After about 7-10 or so minutes, the pan should have a lot of fat in it and the duck skin will be mildly browned. Remove the duck legs and place skin side up into a heavy pot (dutch oven) and transfer the all the rendered fat using a spatula to coat the duck legs. You should have the right size pot so that the duck legs are about halfway immersed in the fat. Add the bay leaves to the pot.
Step 3: Confit the duck
Put the heat on low to medium low and cover the dutch oven. Set a timer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the amount of fat in the pot should have doubled and should fully submerge the duck legs. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 1 hour. Meanwhile, get started on the curry.
This is halfway through, check out the amount of fat that’s rendered!
Tip: This much fat can catch on fire. Be prepared with baking soda in case of a fire to douse the flames. Do not use water! In case of fire, cut the heat, dump baking soda onto the fire and cover the pot with a lid.
Step 4: Start the Curry: Make the Sambal
In a mortar, crush the following ingredients into a paste
- 2 shallots or 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 stock of fresh lemon grass (chopped), or you can use the canned lemon grass or even the powder
- 4 thai chilies, chopped (or 2 fresh jalapeños)
- 1 inch piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp corse koscher or maldon (preferred) salt
- 1 tsp of palm sugar
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric, cumin, chili powder
Step 5: Create your curry
Let those flavors blend
In a wok or large sauce pan add a tbsp of cooking oil (sesame would be great) and get it hot. Add the Sambal and cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, kaffir lime and stir to combine all the flavors. Give it taste and add a little seasoning wherever needed (salt, sugar, spice). Add the diced pineapple and take off the heat.
Step 6: Finish the duck
Put your cast iron skillet on medium high heat and wait for it to heat up. Check on your simmering duck. The fat and meat should have considerably rendered by this point. The once fat covered legs should now be exposed to the bone and the meat should be ready to fall off the bone. Carefully remove the duck legs from the hot fat and let the excess fat drip off. Be very careful the duck meat does not fall right off the bone when removing. Place the the duck legs skin side down on the hot pan and enjoy the satisfying sizzle. Crisp the skin for about 2 minutes (careful not to burn), remove from the pan and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Tip: After the duck fat cools, put it into a container and keep it in your freezer. It will be great to use for the next time you make duck confit and is also great on toast and on potatoes. You can even store any leftover duck meat in the fat to preserve it.
Step 7: Serve
Ladle the curry into serving bowls and place a duck leg on top. Finish with some maldon salt and coriander leaves (cilantro). A little rice on the side would be great 🙂
I forgot the cilantro garnish. Who cares!
Mango Diablo 