Confit Duck Leg Pozole Food

POZOLE WITH DUCK AND MEZCAL

Steps:

• Place hominy in a saucepan, add 4 cups water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside, covered, for 1 hour. Then simmer about 2 hours, partly covered, until starting to soften, adding more water if needed to keep kernels covered. Set aside.
• Heat duck fat or oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, poblano, leek and jalapeño. Cook on medium low until vegetables are soft and the onion barely starts to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chipotle powder and cayenne. Cook for a minute, then add the pineapple and duck. Drain the hominy and add it. Add the chicken stock and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low about 1 1/2 hours, until the hominy has softened, is starting to look translucent and some of the kernels are popping open.
• Season with salt and red-pepper flakes to taste. Add the lime juice. Fold in the scallions and cilantro. Divide the mezcal among 4 small glasses and serve alongside, if desired, to sip with the pozole. As guests have nearly finished their pozole suggest they pour some of the mezcal into their bowls for the last few spoonfuls.

CONFIT DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Mince and mash 4 garlic cloves to a paste with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir together paste, kosher salt (1/4 cup), thyme, quatre épices, shallots, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Add duck legs and toss to coat, then marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Wipe off marinade with paper towels.
• Trim off 1/4 inch from top of garlic head, then stick 2 whole cloves into head. Melt duck fat in a wide large heavy pot over low heat, then cook garlic head and duck legs, uncovered, over low heat until fat registers approximately 190°F, about 1 hour. Continue to cook duck, maintaining a temperature of 190 to 210°F, until a wooden pick slides easily into thighs, 2 to 3 hours more.
• Transfer duck with a slotted spoon to a large bowl (reserve garlic for another use if desired). Slowly pour duck fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a large crock or deep bowl, leaving any cloudy liquid or meat juices in bottom of pot, then pour strained fat over duck legs to cover by 1 inch. (If necessary, shorten drumstick bones 1 to 2 inches using a large heavy knife to fit legs more tightly in bowl.) Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Just before serving, remove duck from fat (reserve fat for another use, such as frying), scraping off most of fat, then cook, skin side down, in a large heavy nonstick skillet over low heat, covered, until skin is crisp and duck is heated through, 15 to 20 minutes

SMOKED RéVEILLON DUCK BREAST AND CONFIT LEG

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine syrup, water, brown sugar, salt, seasoning and smoke flavoring. Add breasts, marinate for length of time duck legs are cooking.
• Place duck legs in cake pan. Add the rest of the dry cure (oil should cover about 1/2 up leg). Cover and cook at 250F for 3-4 hours. Allow to rest for time breasts are cooking. Change oven temp to 400°F.
• Season foie gras; sear on both sides in a hot skillet until golden brown. Remove from pan; reserve on paper towels.
• In same hot skillet, sear breasts duck fat side down; finish in 400F oven for 10-12 minutes (medium done).
• To prepare risotto, sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil. Remove garlic and shallots and reserve. Add rice and sauté until translucent (7-10 minutes), stirring constantly. Add bay leaf, thyme, garlic and shallots. In three stages, add warmed stock, stirring each time until liquid is almost absorbed then adding the next stage. First stage is 1 cup, second stage is 2 cups, and last stage is 1 cup. After stock has been totally added, fold in cheese and pecans. Let it sit, covered, for two to three minutes, and it will be ready to serve.
• For reduction, simmer ingredients in pot until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Season as needed.
• To plate, mound 1 cup of risotto in center of plate. Lay confit leg against the rice with drum leg up. Slice duck breast thin; fan around leg. Drizzle with reduction; top with foie gras.

CONFIT OF DUCK

Steps:

• The day before you want to make the dish, scatter half the salt, half the garlic and half of the herbs over the base of a small shallow dish. Lay the duck legs, skin-side up, on top, then scatter over the remaining salt, garlic and herbs. Cover the duck and refrigerate overnight. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• Pour the wine into a saucepan that will snugly fit the duck legs in a single layer. Brush the salt off the duck legs and place them, skin-side down, in the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium heat. As soon as the wine starts to bubble, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 2 hours, checking occasionally that the liquid is just barely simmering. (If you own a heat diffuser, it would be good to use it here.) After 2 hours, the duck legs should be submerged in their own fat and the meat should feel incredibly tender when prodded. Leave to cool.
• The duck legs are now cooked and can be eaten immediately - or you can follow the next step if you like them crisp. If you are preparing ahead, pack the duck legs tightly into a plastic container or jar and pour over the fat, but not the liquid at the bottom of the pan. Cover and leave in the fridge for up to a month, or freeze for up to 3 months. The liquid you are left with makes a tasty gravy, which can be chilled or frozen until needed.
• To reheat and crisp up the duck legs, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Remove the legs from the fat and place them, skin-side down, in an ovenproof frying pan. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp. Serve with the reheated gravy, a crisp salad and some crisp golden ptoatoes.

CONFIT DUCK

Steps:

• The day before cooking, put the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and toast until they are slightly coloured and aromatic. Remove to a board and crush them with the blade of a knife. Crush the juniper berries and mix with the spices and the salt. Rub the mixture over the duck, scatter with thyme, rosemary and sliced garlic and chill for 24 hrs, turning two or three times as they marinate.
• Next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Wipe the duck with kitchen paper and pat dry, but don't wash off the marinade. (The salt extracts the water from the meat cells, which will be reinflated with fat as the duck cooks gently. If you wash it, you will simply reinflate the cells with water.)
• Put the duck in a cast-iron casserole and cover with the goose fat or duck fat. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and cook for about 2½ hrs, or until the meat is almost falling away from the bone. You can store the duck very simply by placing it in a pudding bowl, covering it with the fat and keeping it in the fridge: as long as it stays covered with fat it will last for weeks.
• To cook, remove the confit duck legs from their fat. Put an ovenproof frying pan on the stove until it is hot. Add the duck legs, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins. Turn the legs and transfer the pan to the oven for 30 mins, until crisp.