Charlotte au confit de canard
Bread Charlotte with confit duck
This is a Roux Christmas favourite and never fails to please. Jars of duck confit with hearts and gizzards are now fairly easy to find, but if you're squeamish you can leave out the offal and add extra duck legs instead. You can make this in individual molds or in one large tin.
Serves 6 as a main course.
Ingredients
1 large loaf of good quality bread
duck fat from the confit
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
200ml port
750ml veal stock
300g mixed wild mushrooms, wiped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
6 confit duck legs
6 confit gizzards
6 confit hearts (optional)
black pepper
Cut the bread into medium slices and remove the crusts, then cut the slices in half again. Moisten the bread with some of the duck fat from the drained confit - melt the fat and brush it on, or dip the bread into it. Line the moulds with bread, making sure the slices overlap o there are no gaps and that they are well pressed into the moulds.
Sweat the shallots in a pan with a little duck fat and cook until soft. Add the port and reduce by half, then add the stock and reduce again until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Leave the sauce to cool.
Trim the mushrooms and sear them in a frying pan with a knob of duck fat. Add the chopped garlic and parsley, cook for a few minutes longer, then tip the contents of the pan into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Remove the skin from the duck legs and flake the meat. Slice the gizzards and hearts. Add all the meat to the mushrooms with just enough of the sticky port sauce to bind. Season with a generous amount of pepper. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°/Gas 6.
Divide the mixture between the bread-lined moulds and cover the tops with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before turning the charlottes out of the moulds, then serve with the remaining port sauce, warmed through, and some extra wild mushrooms if you like - cook these in a little duck fat.
If you prefer to make one large charlotte, use a round cake tin, measuring about 20 cm in diameter by 10cm deep, with a removable base. Cook the charlotte for 35 - 40 minutes and leave to rest as above.
Confit Duck with sauté potatoes
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 Canard Gras
1 kg good-quality coarse sea salt
1 sprig sage
1 sprig thyme
Sauté potatoes
1 kg potatoes (Amandine,Belle de Fontenay or similar), boiled in their skins and cooled
1 kg duck or goose fat
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Canard Gras is a duck that has been reared for foie gras. It wilI weigh about 6kg and seem expensive but inside it has a whole foie gras. If you cannot find one of these ducks then I suggest eight large duck legs or two normal ducks.
If using the Canard Gras remove the legs and breasts, trimming off any excess fat. Chop off the head and discard remove the skin from the neck and add to the fat, and put the neck with the meat. Take out the foie gras, wrap in cling film and refrigerate to use for another recipe. Add the heart and gizzard, cut in half & wash it.
Trim all the skin and fat off the carcass. Put all the fat in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a gentle simmer to render. This usually takes about 1 hour - the water should be evaporated and the fat should be clear. Pour the fat through a fine conical sieve without pressing. Liberally sprinkle the meat with the sea salt and chill for 5 minutes. Wipe off all the salt and moisture with a cloth and put the meat into the warm fat with the sage and thyme. Bring to a very gentle simmer, cover with a greaseproof paper and cook for about 2 hours until tender. Cool in the fat, then chill. It will keep for several weeks.
For the duck confit reheat the oven to 180'C/Gas4. Plate the meat in a non-stick pan and cook over a medium heat until golden. Put into the hot oven for 10-15.
Sauté Potatoes
Peel the potatoes when cool. Cut into 5mm slices and pan-fry in the duck fat, season and sprinkle with garlic and parsley.
Haunch of Venison with
lemon and honey
Serves 8
Ingredients
Leg of venison, about 3kg
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons clear honey
4 onions
1 large or 2 small lemons
Sprig of thyme
White wine
Salt, pepper
Rub the venison leg with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 220 C/Gas 7. Heat up a roasting tray on top of the stove and sear the venison with a good bit of olive oil.
Once the meat is coloured on all sides, put it in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Then add the coarsely sliced onions, the lemons cut into wedges, 3 tablespoons of honey, thyme and a good glass of white wine. Put the meat back in the oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the venison in the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove and take to the table and carve.
