Duck Confit Parmentier

Tags

bistrot cooking, comfort food, cottage pie, Duck, duck confit, mashed potato, parmentier, shephards pie

Duck Confit Parmentier is a French twist on classic shepherd’s pie made with confit duck legs, topped with intensely creamy mashed potato and sprinkled with Parmesan.
I often make my own duck confit – it is very easy and you can prepare it in advance but you can also use canned/preserved duck confit. See Duck confit / Confit de canard for a recipe on how to make your own confit.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the mashed potato:
1.3-1.5kg / 3 to 3.3lbs large russet or other floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
60ml / 1/4 cup crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the duck layer:
4 duck confit legs, either store-bought or homemade (other dark meat poultry may be substituted, if desired)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup / 180ml red wine
Fresh parsley, chopped, about a handful
30g / 1oz freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180C /375F
To make the duck layer, remove the skin and bones from the duck legs and shred into small pieces
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onion and shallots until light gold and tender, about 5-7 minutes
Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds
Add the shredded duck meat and parsley and saute for another 2 minutes
Pour in the red wine and simmer to reduce, about 5 minutes
Divide the mixture into your four individual baking dishes
Set aside
In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes
Drain then squeeze potatoes through a ricer, into a large bowl for smooth creamy mash or simply mash with a fork or masher for a more rustic version
Fold in butter and crème fraîche
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Top the duck mixture with the mashed potato
Using a fork, flatten the potato into an even layer
Sprinkle the Parmesan on top, then bake until golden brown – about 25 minutes
Enjoy!

Duck breast with honey and vinegar / Magret de Canard au miel et au vinaigre

Tags

Duck, duck breast, honey, magret, Perigord, shallots, vinegar

5 ingredients – that’s all you need to create an amazing dish that is equally good for a simple weekday meal or a beautiful showpiece main course for your next fancy dinner party.  The recipe uses duck magret or “magret de canard,” the breast of a Moulard duck raised for foie gras.  The Moulard is a large bird known for its ample, fatty breast meat.  Two-star Michelin chef Andre Daguin was reportedly the first to sear a magret like a steak at the Hotel de France in 1959. The impromptu recipe caught on and is now found in restaurants the world over.

A typical dish from the Perigord region of France where duck is king.  The cuisine’s origins are often rustic and modest, ingredients are from the terroir which is very rich in taste and flavour: duck, walnuts, wild mushrooms, truffles, honey and wines.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 duck breasts (magret)
2 shallots, finely diced
3 tablespoons honey (acacia honey is good)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the magret fat side up on a cutting board
With a very sharp knife, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern

Preheat a  large skillet over medium high heat – do not add butter or oil
Add the duck and sear the breasts, skin side down for 6 minutes
Reduce the heat to medium low and drain most of the fat and reserve for later use
Flip the duck breasts over
Cook them for an additional 6 minutes (magret is best served medium rare)
Wrap the breasts in aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside
Add the shallots to the skillet and allow them to cook, while stirring, for about 2 minutes
Deglaze the skillet with the honey and vinegar, scraping up the browned bits as the sauce cooks
Simmer the honey vinegar glaze for 2 to 3 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Return the duck breasts to the pan, turning them a few times to coat them evenly with the honey glaze
Carve them into thickish slices and serve them immediately garnished with some of the sweet sour sauce
Enjoy!

 

 

Cook’s Tip: Pour the rendered duck fat into a clean container. Let it cool, refrigerate it, and save it for other culinary uses. It will keep for months and add a wonderful taste to a variety of recipes, particularly potatoes. You can also use it to sear other meats, delivering a unique, extra kick of flavor.

 

 

Duck confit crispy spring rolls

Tags

appetizer, Duck, duck confit, Foie Gras, hors d'œuvres, nems, spring rolls

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 sheets of filo pastry
2 legs of duck confit meat, off the bone and shredded
2 slices of cooked foie gras (optional), cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons smooth apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce such as Tabasco or sriracha (to taste)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon water or orange juice
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon toasted, chopped almonds
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 210C / 420F
Mix the jam, hot sauce and the vinegar, add a bit of water (or orange juice) and set aside
Place the meat, ginger, Chinese 5 spice powder, shallot, parsley and almonds in a bowl
Season to taste and mix well
Delicately stir in the foie gras
Cut each sheet of filo into four
Place a spoonful of the mixture at one end of a filo rectangle, in the centre
Roll the filo around the filling until halfway along the filo sheet, then fold each side of unfilled pastry into the centre
Resist the urge to over stuff
Continue rolling into a cylinder and brush with the butter to seal
Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush with butter
Repeat with the remaining pastry sheets
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden and crisp
Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce
Enjoy!