Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
Duck Confit:
- 4 ounces (113 g) kosher salt
- 1 ½ ounces 42 g) brown sugar
- 1 ounce (28 g) black peppercorns
- 4-8 duck legs
- 4 cups (950 ml) duck fat
Blood Orange-Duck Fat Emulsion:
- 1 cup (240 ml) blood orange juice (from roughly 8 oranges)
- 1 cup (240 ml) sugar
- 1-inch (2.5 cm) knob ginger, peeled and minced.
- 2 cloves garlic, minced.
- ¾ cup (180 ml) warm duck fat from Duck Confit
Method:
For Duck Confit:
In a large bowl, mix salt, brown sugar, and peppercorns together.
Sprinkle the mixture all over the duck legs, transfer to a non-reactive container, top with any remaining salt-sugar mixture, cover and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
Remove the duck from the mixture, rinse under cold water and pat dry.
Preheat the oven to 225 F (105 C).
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the duck fat. Place the duck legs in the liquid fat, cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, but not falling off the bone, 8-10 hours.
Allow the legs to cool in the duck fat to room temperature. Strain the legs out of the fat onto a rack over a baking tray and reserve the cooking fat.
For the Blood Orange Duck Fat Emulsion:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the orange juice, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the mixture to a bare simmer.
Simmer the mixture until the garlic and ginger have begun to break down, 10-15 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and while the machine is running, slowly stream in the warm, reserved duck fat until emulsified.
To Serve:
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the duck legs, skin side down, and slowly crisp the skin, 7-8 minutes.
Flip the legs and gently cook the flesh side just to warm through, 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the Duck Confit to a serving plate and serve alongside the Blood Orange-Duck Fat Emulsion.
