Confit de pato

Recipe notes

Consejos del chef

Deja que el pato llegue a temperatura ambiente

Las piernas de pato recién sacadas del refrigerador tardan mucho más en quedar crujientes que las que están a temperatura ambiente, y la piel puede quedar crujiente por fuera mientras el centro de la carne sigue frío. Si preparaste el confit con anticipación y lo guardaste en el refrigerador, saca las piernas 30 a 45 minutos antes del paso final en la sartén para que lleguen a temperatura ambiente. Lo mismo aplica si el pato se guardó sumergido en grasa en el refrigerador: deja que se atempere, luego saca las piernas, sécalas con papel y sigue con el dorado con la piel hacia abajo.

Orígenes

El confit de pato es un plato clásico francés: pato cocinado lentamente en su propia grasa hasta quedar tierno y luego terminado con una piel crujiente y deliciosa. Pero la técnica tradicional puede llevar 30 horas... nosotros usamos un enfoque más sencillo, pero con excelentes resultados.

Cartouche 101

Una cartouche es un círculo (o rectángulo, en esta receta) de papel para hornear que se coloca sobre la superficie para limitar la evaporación y mantener el pato sumergido.

Almacenamiento

¡No botes la grasa de pato después de cocinar, es oro líquido! Cuélala y guárdala en el refrigerador por varios meses.

Ideas para servir

El confit de pato combina con el acompañamiento que más te guste: papas asadas y ensalada, verduras salteadas, cassoulet, puré de papas... ¡lo que se te antoje!

Ingredient notes

Duck fat:

Rendered duck fat is the cooking medium and the preservation agent in a confit. Its low smoking point and high stability at the temperatures used here (around 120°C oven, 80-85°C in the fat) make it ideal for long, slow cooking without the fat breaking down or frying the meat. It also transfers flavour from the aromatics into the duck over the cooking time. Duck fat is available at good butchers, specialty food stores, and in jars or tins at some supermarkets. Goose fat is the closest substitute and works equally well. Do not substitute with vegetable or olive oil: the flavour, stability and preservation properties are completely different. After cooking, strain the used fat through a fine sieve and refrigerate. It keeps for several months and is exceptional for roasting potatoes.

Duck legs:

You need to use Duck Legs for confit because they have a high proportion of intramuscular fat and connective tissue relative to breast meat. During the long, slow cook, the fat renders out and the connective tissue breaks down into gelatin, which makes the flesh extraordinarily tender and self-basting. Breast meat has none of these characteristics and would dry out completely at these cooking times. Duck legs are available from specialty butchers, and can often be found frozen at Asian grocers. Look for legs with the skin intact and undamaged, as the skin is what delivers the crisp finish in the final stage.

Speck:

Speck is a cured and cold-smoked pork product originating from the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, made from the leg or belly. It has a longer curing and smoking process than most bacon, which gives it a drier texture, more concentrated flavour, and a distinctly smoky character. It’s available as a whole piece at good delis, or pre-diced at most major supermarkets. For this recipe, dice it into 2cm lardons and render it in the pan until the fat is released and the pieces are browned and crisp. If you can’t find speck, guanciale or a good quality smoked bacon will substitute, though the flavour will be less complex.