11/15    #520

DUCK CONFIT FOR 200

  Those who follow the doings down on the Eastern Shore know that duck season is nearly upon us.  In Maryland the canvasback duck was long regarded as one of our signature dishes.  Wild duck may not make its way to our tables very often, but there are a lot of farm raised ducks out there to work with.  And Jerry loves cooking with duck.  Recently, he was obliged to cook dinner for 400 people at a New York winery.  His response was to turn to the great local ducks of Long Island and the cooking technique knows as “confit”.  What resulted was a duck and plum sauce that was served over fresh pasta.

 Duck Confit with Plums and Tomatoes

Jerry Pellegrino

Chef/Owner

CORKS

Suggested Wine Pairing: Martha Clara “Estate” Merlot 2002

Ingredients:

Serves 8

6 lbs ripe red plums, cleaned from the stone and cut into ¼ inch dice

2 lbs ripe red tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch dice

1 large red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup good olive oil

¼ cup Balsamic vinegar

2 cups Martha Clara Merlot

2 tablespoons fresh marjoram, cleaned from the stem and chopped

Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

4 confit duck legs, skin removed and meat picked from the bone

• In a large stockpot set over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until just smoking. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they begin to brown on the edges.
• Add ½ the plums, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Merlot and enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil with occasional stirring.
• Reduce the heat to allow the sauce to come to a strong simmer, stirring occasionally.  Cook until the plums have lost their shape.
• Add the remaining plums and marjoram. Increase the heat to medium-high and once again bring to a boil with occasional stirring. 
• Reduce the heat and simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Continue to stir the sauce occasionally to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pot.
• Add the duck leg meat and cook an additional 15 minutes.
• Keep the sauce warm until serving.

Notes – You can buy duck legs already prepared from a variety of online specialty shops.  If you want to confit the legs yourself, you can use the following recipe.

Confit Duck Legs

4 Duck Legs, skin on

2 Tablespoons garlic, chopped

2 sprigs Thyme

2 sprigs Rosemary

1 Tablespoon whole black pepper corns

½ cup Kosher Salt

Enough Duck Fat or vegetable oil to cover the legs

• Liberally salt each duck leg, rub them with the garlic and herbs, sprinkle with the black peppercorns and place in a zip lock bag. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Scrape the marinade from the duck legs and place in a deep pot large enough to hold the legs in a single layer on the bottom.
• Cover the legs with duck fat or oil.
• Cover the pot with two layers of aluminum foil and place in a 325 degree oven for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat pulls away from the top of the leg easily.
• Cool the legs in the oil.
• Remove from the oil and use accordingly

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