Duck Confit Anyone?

I love food but not all food.  Duck for one not my favorite.  Actually, I don't think I like chicken, ducks, geese, quails (animals with feathers and two skinny legs I guess) as much as I like animals with thick muscles and walk on fours.  But food is food.  They all taste good if you cook them right.

Oh sorry, I digress...

What's duck confit?  Confit is an ancient cooking method by which meat is marinated and cooked in low temperature.   It's then preserve in fat.  Fat will keep the bacteria out and the meat can be kept - without refrigeration - for a long period of time and still maintain its moisture.  NOT like jerky.

Duck is a perfect confit ingredient because it is meaty, tender and it can be perfectly preserved in its own fat.

The French got it right and they made duck confit the signature French dish.    

But duck fat?  Hmmmm...

I saw this duck leg confit recipe in SF Chronicle few weekends ago.  In the true California way, of course the duck confit got a twist.  Instead of being cooked in duck or other animal fat, the recipe called for extra-virgin olive oil.  Now we are talking!

It takes a week from start to finish to make duck confit but that is the intriguing part.  More intriguing is that the confit can be stored up to 6 months. Wow!

Boy, I'm so glad I tried!!  The preparation part was not hard at all.  The frying part required some patience - at least 90 minutes to two hours in 200 degrees (F) oil.  When done, store the confit in the same oil.  That's it.

Judging Time: I pan-fried the confit until the skin was brown and crispy.  I thought the meat was going to be tough and dry since it was fried for 2 hours!  What a pleasant surprise to discover that I actually made really good duck confit!  Dad asked why I only made two.  I told him that it was my first try and I didn't want to waste food if I goofed.  Well, I'm now ready to make duck confit in batches!!

What I've learned:  Always give food a try.  Learn to appreciate and enjoy the making part along with the eating part.  We human has a nice big mouth with multi-functional teeth, a complex sensory tongue and acute olfactory perception.  Use it!

Bon Appetit!

Angels Among Us

Mom and Dad met a very old couple at the park today.  They were walking slowly and the grandma using a walker.  Dad got up and offered them the bench so they could rest.  They sat down and chatted with mom and dad.  Then the grandpa reached into his pocket and took out this little angel.  He handed to mom and told her to keep it for good luck.

You know what?  I think mom and dad were blessed by angels today.