From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Duck Confit There's really only one challenge in making duck confit: getting enough duck fat. Restaurants have no problem with this: they break down the ducks for duck breast dishes, which gives them lots of skin and fat for doing confit of the legs. And they save the fat for succeeding batches of confit. So, in other words, if you're going to try this, be prepared to eat other duck dishes. One other piece of bad news: you need to start this recipe days ahead. Good news: it can be a week or two ahead. 2 whole ducks, fresh or thawed Salt 1. Cut the ducks into the standard quarters. Reserve the breasts for another dish, but remove all the skin except the part right over the breast and on the leg quarters. 2. Render the fat from all the duck skin in a skillet over medium-low heat. You will need about a half-cup of rendered fat total. If you can't get that out of the duck skin at hand, render some fat from wings, thighs, and the "oyster" of a chickens. Or from uncured pork belly. 3. Coat the leg quarters generously with salt and add to the skillet. Put the whole skillet into a preheated 250-degree oven and roast slowly for two hours, or until the meat begins to fall away from the bones. 4. Place the duck legs in a deep dish and pour the fat over it. Cover the dish and refrigerate. It will hold for days or even weeks in the refrigerator. 5. When ready to serve, move the duck legs to a broiling pan and top it with all the fat you can. Place the pan into a preheated 450-degree oven until the skin sizzles audibly. Serve immediately, with a small salad of something sharp (like arugula with raspberry vinaigrette). Serves four. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com