duck legs

In her final column for delicious., MasterChef winner Diana Chan looks ahead to balmy days and night with a mildly spiced quail and rice dish. "This final recipe is all about freshness. As we come into the warmer months, I thought it would be nice to incorporate some mild spices to the dish, and use grains and fresh herbs to ease into the salads and cold foods that come with summer. I chose quail because it’s not commonly used and is a great substitute for chicken, but feel free to swap it for spatchcock, duck legs or even lamb ribs" - Diana Chan.

Indian-spiced quail with saffron pilau

quails,

tbs ghee

onion, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

cardamom pods, bruised

tsp cumin

tsp coriander

(200 grams) basmati rice

tbs sultanas

tsp saffron threads

chicken stock

Sunflower oil, to deep-fry

Coriander sprigs, to serve

cinnamon

cloves

fennel

tsp chilli powder

Use this in a cassoulet, or simply on its own, with sautéed potatoes and seasonal veg

Confit duck

cumin seeds

coriander seeds

juniper berries

flaky sea salt

duck leg and thigh joints

thyme

rosemary

garlic

bay leaves

tsp black peppercorns

The day before cooking, put the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and toast until they are slightly coloured and aromatic. Remove to a board and crush them with the blade of a knife. Crush the juniper berries and mix with the spices and the salt. Rub the mixture over the duck, scatter with thyme, rosemary and sliced garlic and chill for 24 hrs, turning two or three times as they marinate.

Next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Wipe the duck with kitchen paper and pat dry, but don’t wash off the marinade. (The salt extracts the water from the meat cells, which will be reinflated with fat as the duck cooks gently. If you wash it, you will simply reinflate the cells with water.)

Put the duck in a cast-iron casserole and cover with the goose fat or duck fat. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and cook for about 2½ hrs, or until the meat is almost falling away from the bone. You can store the duck very simply by placing it in a pudding bowl, covering it with the fat and keeping it in the fridge: as long as it stays covered with fat it will last for weeks.

To cook, remove the confit duck legs from their fat. Put an ovenproof frying pan on the stove until it is hot. Add the duck legs, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins. Turn the legs and transfer the pan to the oven for 30 mins, until crisp.

Recipe video above. A traditional recipe for Duck Confit from a French chef! Called Confit de Canard in French, duck legs are slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is meltingly tender, then the skin crisped to golden perfection. This Duck Confit recipe is low-effort and DOESN&#039;T require buckets of duck fat! Simple, yet a lusciously indulgent dish worthy of gracing restaurant tables. This might just be the ultimate dish for a low-stress dinner party or treating your loved ones!Recipe courtesy of Chef Jean-Baptiste Alexandre, culinary collaborator for all things French. Meet Chef &quot;JB&quot; here.

Duck Confit - French slow roasted duck legs

ml / 25 oz duck fat ((Note 2))

tsp cooking/kosher salt ((Note 4))

sage sprigs (, lightly packed)

oregano sprigs (, lightly packed)

garlic (, smashed with skin on)

eschalot ((US: shallot), peeled and sliced 0.7cm (1/3") thick)

tbsp black peppercorns

star anise

tbsp juniper berries

Coat duck with dry cure: Place duck legs and all the Dry Cure ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well with your hands.

Cure 12 - 24 hrs: Transfer to a ceramic or glass dish large enough so the duck fits in a single layer but snugly. Cover and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours (no longer is necessary).

Rinse: Brush off cure and rinse duck under tap water to clean them (remove all salt and black bits). Pat dry with paper towels.

Cure duck:

Preheat oven to 100°C/210°F (80°C fan) with a shelf positioned in the middle of the oven.

Roasting pan: Place duck in a small metal roasting pan with high sides. They should fit snugly, touching each other, but in a single layer. (Note 5)

Cover with duck fat: Pour fat over duck. It should pretty much cover the legs. (Note 6)

Heat fat in pan: Place pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat fat until bubbling energetically all across the surface (ie not just around the edges).

Cover with paper: Turn off stove. Cover surface with baking / parchment paper, cut to size so it sits on the surface of the fat over the duck. Gently push down to remove air bubbles. Cover pan tightly with a double layer of foil.

Slow cook: Carefully transfer to the oven. Cook for 8 hours.

Check flesh: Remove one duck leg (gently). Turn over to check the flesh side – meat should be fall-apart tender. Leg should also give easily when pressure is applied to the joint (see video).

Slow cooking (confit):

Duck can be stored submerged in fat at this stage. The meat juice should be strained off first.

Remove duck to a non-reactive container in which they fit snugly. (Note 7) Pour over cooled duck fat, leaving juice sediment behind. Ensure it fully covers the duck (push duck under while warm and pliable as needed, using tongs).

Once fully cool, cover with lid and place in fridge (5 days) or freezer (3 months). Fat will solidify.

To cook, heat duck gently in a container in microwave to melt the fat. Proceed with recipe.

Storing cooked Duck Confit (optional):

Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). Place a rack over a deep roasting pan.

Remove duck from fat: Remove duck from fat, allowing excess oil to drip off. Pat excess oil off with paper towels.

Prepare for roasting: Pour 2.5cm / 1&quot; of boiling water water into the roasting pan (steam keeps flesh moist). Place duck on rack, skin side up.

Crisp skin: Roast duck for 40 minutes until the skin is a deep golden and crispy. Rotate pan as needed for even colour. (You won&#039;t have problems with fat smoking as it drips into the water)

Serve: Rest briefly to cool, and serve! A classic French side dish for Duck Confit is Lentil Ragout. (pictured in post)

Crisping skin and finishing Duck:

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The most viewed duck legs recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine