Last Order Date For Christmas Delivery: Sunday 15th December
Ingredients
- CONFIT
- 4 Duck legs, about 175g/ 6oz each, including fat
- 40g/ 1 ½ oz sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed with the flat edge of a knife or your hand
- 4 thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 500g/1lb 2oz goose or duck fat, melted
- 2tbsp honey
- LENTILS
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 200g/ 7oz/ 1 cup Puy lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 1 shallot
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 bouquet garni made and 1 thyme sprig and 1 parsley sprig, tied together with kitchen string
- 1 garlic clove, unpeeled
- 2-3 tablespoons French Vinaigrette
- 1 handful of chervil, leaves only, chopped.
Introduction
Born in Eastern France, Daniel Galmiche worked at Le Gavroche under Michel Roux Senior, and has since enjoyed a diverse international career. He is now the proprietor of the Vineyard at Stockcross.Method
Method for confit
- Put the duck legs in a small tray, skin-side down.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme, cover with cling film, press down and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 130°C/ 250°F/ Gas 1.
- Take the duck out of the tray discarding the marinade, rinse under running cold water and dry on kitchen towel.
- Put the duck in a large heavy-based casserole or cast iron pan and pour the melted goose fat on top.
- Cover with a lid or greaseproof paper sealed with foil, place in the preheated oven and bake for 3-4 hours.
- Remove from the oven, skin off any fat, cover with foil and set aside. Alternatively, you can gently simmer the duck on the stove, covered for 3-4 hours.
- Brush the duck legs with the honey and pan-roast them skin-side down in a non-stick pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. The honey will caramelize very quickly, so be careful not to let it burn.
Method for lentils
- Put the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the white foam from the surface.
- Add the shallot, carrot, bouquet garni and garlic, reduce the heat to low and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until al dente.
- Strain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid, and discard the shallot, bouquet garni and garlic, but leave the carrots in.
- Add the vinaigrette, the reserved cooking liquid and the chervil.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. This should give you a lovely salad.
To serve
- Divide the lentils onto four plates, arrange the duck legs on top and enjoy! Alternatively, arrange in a large pot to serve from at the table. The texture and delicate flavours of this dish are second to none.