Duck Confit. Food of peasants and kings alike, and a preservation method designed to minimize or eliminate fermentation. Meat is rubbed with herbs and salt, to add flavor and begin extracting water. The salted meat is patted dry, submerged in oil (or sufficient fat from the same animal) and heated gently to cook and sterilize. Skim any carbohydrate/protein scum, and as long as anything with any water in it is below the fat when it solidifies, it will be preserved. Cover, set it in a cool dry place, refrigeration not required, and it should stay perfectly preserved for weeks or months.
In my case I'm covering it with olive oil, and I'm not really going to keep if for months under the fat.
I get delicious duck meat, crunchy fried skin cracklin's, and the thing that will flavor our meals for months to come: a quart and a half of rich, herb-flavored, duck fat/olive oil blend, rendered to perfection.
It's good to be king.
No comments:
Post a Comment