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Duck Confit With Cherry Sauce

  • Suggested Wine Pairing: 2023 Rayhill Vineyard Pinot Noir
  • Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

½ cup kosher salt

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

½ teaspoon juniper berries

1 orange sliced

8 duck leg/thigh

6–8 cups melted duck fat


Sauce

1 shallot (minced)

2 sprigs thyme

¾ cup red wine (Pinot Noir)

1 cup duck stock/demi (or chicken)

1 cup cherries (pickled or brined)

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°F.


Step 1: In a spice grinder or blender, place salt, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, black peppercorns, and juniper berries. You will need 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 pound of duck legs, or approximately 1 tablespoon per leg.


Step 2: Rinse the duck legs under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Pull away and discard any excess fat. With scissors, trim excess skin near the bottom of the legs and around the edges, leaving ¼ of an inch of overhang of the skin.


The skin and fat can be discarded or rendered. To render the fat, place the rimmed fat and skin in a small saucepan with a tablespoon of water, heat on low heat, and render until all the fat is melted. Strain. Use the fat for the confit process or reserve it for other uses.  


Step 3: Rub the legs with the salt mix (remember: 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 pound of duck legs, or approximately 1 tablespoon per leg) and place orange slices on the baking dish, and then place the duck on top. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.


Confit

Heat oven to 200°F.


Step 1: Rinse the legs well under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Layer the duck legs (no more than 2 deep) in a large oven-proof pot with a lid, such as a Staub or baking dish. Pour in enough melted duck fat to cover the legs, cover with lid or foil, and bake in the oven for approximately 10 hours or until tender enough to fall off the bone.


Step 2: Once they have cooled enough to handle, gently lift the legs from the fat, strain the fat over the legs, and submerge them in the fat. Cool and store for up to two weeks.


Heat oven to 375°F.


To Cook/Use: Remove legs from container, remove legs from fat, and remove as much fat from the legs as possible. In a cast-iron or regular pan on medium-high heat, place the duck leg skin side-down, and cook on low heat until all the skin is golden brown and crisp.


Step 3:

Remove duck legs from the pan, set aside in a baking dish, and finish cooking in the oven to warm.


Sauce

Step 4:

Meanwhile, in the same pan used to sear the duck, sauté the shallot in the residual fat until tender, deglaze the pan with wine and thyme. Once the alcohol has burned off, add in the duck stock and the cherries, bring to a simmer, remove the sprig of thyme, and serve with warm duck thighs.


Note: if using a stock that does not have any body, add in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, mix with 2 tablespoons cold water, and pour into the simmering sauce. Mix thoroughly, and the sauce will thicken in approximately 1 minute.

Serving Suggestion

Serve duck and cherries with lentils, black rice, potatoes, or a frisée and fennel salad.

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