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Blades’ Bistro Duck Confit Salad with White Cannellini Beans

Confit is a specialty of Gascony, France, it is derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative. Confit can be refrigerated up to 6 months.

Ingredients Confit

  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Thyme
  • Cloves
  • Diced Garlic

Cooking Instructions for Duck Confit: (*note: use a third of ingredients for a party of four) 
Begin with equal amounts of salt and sugar, one cup of each for a large party.  Add 1 tablespoon thyme, a teaspoon of cloves, and 3 tablespoons of diced garlic to the salt & sugar in a food processor. Use this mixture (paste) on 10 pounds of duck legs, padding on the exposed meat of the duck. Place one leg on top of another, in a pan and place in the fridge. After 1-1/2 days turn the legs and return to fridge for another 1-1/2 days. Remove from fridge and remove excess mixture to avoid the duck being too salty.

Place the duck in a roasting pan with rendered duck fat to cover legs, cover and cook at 400 degrees for two hours. Refrigerator Duck in its own duck fat.

Reheat the duck legs over broiler to crisp the skin.

Mix Concassé and cooked white Cannelloni beans.

Place the beans and Concassé mixture on a bed of mixed greens; sprinkle some crisp bacon bits over the mixture and salad. Set duck on top, and finish with French vinaigrette dressing.

Recipe Concassé:

  • 4 Quartered tomatoes (innards removed)
  • ½ Cup Black Olives
  • 1 Cucumber

To create the tomato Concassé; in a bowl add tomatoes, black olives, cucumber, and a touch of crisp bacon bits.

French Vinaigrette

  • Oil
  • Vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Various herbs (optional)

This is a basic oil-and-vinegar combination, 3 parts of oil to 1 part vinegar, salt and pepper. You can add various herbs.

Instructions Cannelloni Beans:
For cooking Cannelloni beans, follow the instructions on bag. Make sure the beans are tender.

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