Duck Rillette Recipes

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients, except fat, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Beat at medium speed for about 1 minute, or until everything is well mixed. Or use a food processor, taking care not to puree the mixture or let it turn into a paste. The texture should be like finely chopped meat.
• Use immediately or place in an airtight container, drizzle some of the reserved fat over the top, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week

Steps:

• In a food processor with a metal blade, combine all the ingredients together. Pulse the ingredients 5 times until the mixture resembles finely chopped meat. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper. Store the mixture into an airtight container until ready to use. Will store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Pull duck meat from the bones and shred. Discard skin and bones.
• Combine the pulled meat, and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the crostini, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat at medium speed for about 1 minute, or until everything is well mixed. Or use a food processor, taking care not to puree the mixture or let it turn into a paste. The texture should be like finely chopped meat.
• Serve rillette with crostini.
• If not using immediately, spoon rillette into ramekins and cover with reserved fat from the duck confit. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the ducks in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat and reserve. Rinse the duck with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and table salt. Lay the duck on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
• Remove the duck from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. To store the duck confit, place the duck leg portions in a container, cover with the reserved cooking fat, and store in the refrigerator. Alternately, pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with a thin layer of some of the strained fat. The duck confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.
• The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of duck taste in the oil is wonderful.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and brush generously with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake for 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. (Watch carefully while they are baking to make sure they don't burn.)

Steps:

• Cut breasts from duck and discard skin and all visible fat. Reserve legs and carcass for another use.
• Brown duck neck (halved if necessary) in a dry 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Pat duck breasts dry and season with salt and pepper, then add to pan and brown over moderate heat, turning once, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to plate with duck neck.
• Add Armagnac to pan and deglaze by boiling, scraping up any brown bits, until most of liquid is evaporated. Add 2 cups water, shallots, garlic, sliced carrot, thyme, bay leaf, kosher salt, peppercorns, and duck breasts and neck with any juices on plate and cook at a bare simmer, covered, 1 hour. Discard neck, then transfer breasts to a plate and cool. Shred duck meat, then chop.
• Pour broth through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. (If liquid measures less than 2 cups, add water.) Return to cleaned pan and add chopped carrot. Simmer, covered, until carrot is tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While carrot is cooking, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 2 tablespoons water in a cup and let soften 1 minute.
• Stir softened gelatin into hot broth until dissolved, then stir in duck meat, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into crocks (you'll have about 3 cups total) and chill, covered, until set, 3 to 4 hours. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.