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duck breast confit? beef confit?

#1
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10/29/08 at 12:10pm
  • Joined: October 2008
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Hi. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried confit-ing duck breast. There doesn't seem to be any recipe on the internet so I'm guessing maybe it's not a good idea? But since I'm not a fan of the more common preperations - sear it on a pan and finish in the oven, I'm wondering if there is another way to cook it.

Also, how about beef confit? Say, instead of braising short rib in veal stock, would it work if I cooked it in beef fat?

Thanks, in advance.
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#2
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10/30/08 at 9:05pm
  • Joined: March 2005
  • Location: Ottawa, Ontario
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Confiting typically implies cooking the meat thoroughly, so it would be better suited for parts of the animal that are better stewed. However, that doesn't mean you can't cook a duck breast (or any sort of meat) in its own fat to any doneness. In the end, a duck breast is usually served with skin and if you want to cook it you will need a method that makes the skin part more palatable.

You can also use confit meat to fill anything, from terrines or rillettes to spring rolls, only in those preparations the leg wouldn't be served whole like in the traditional serving method.

I think "confiting" breast meat until medium rare in the centre will yield results similar to sous vide cooking the same piece of meat.

"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender

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#3
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10/30/08 at 9:23pm
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  • Location: Monrovia, CA
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Confit is a tradition that has as much to do with preservation as slow cooking in animal fat. You can absolutely make a confit with duck breast, beef or just about anything. Whether or not there are better uses for a particular piece of meat is a different question, and one you're best suited to answer. In other words, try it and let us know.

I disagree with blueicus only to the extent that since confit includes some preservation as part of the flavor building process, I'm not sure I would call meat slow cooket in fat confit unless it had been cooled, congealed, sealed and held for at least an intermediate period. The distinction is purely linguistic, otherwise I agree entirely with the substance.

Hope this helps,
BDL
De gustibus aut bene, aut nihil. Chekhov
www.cookfoodgood.com
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#4
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10/31/08 at 5:22am
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While I would agree with that BDL, most restaurants don't have the money, time or place to "store" confit for months on end before serving. Most often it starts seeing use the day after it is made, or sometimes, the day of. I do have to agree with many of the "french" chefs I have worked with when they say that confit doesn't start tasting really good until after it has sat for a month or more, covered in fat.

From Man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the World-Saint Arnoldus
http://www.onceachef.com/

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#5
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11/1/08 at 11:31am
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You're all right, confit is a general French word related to a relatively moist method of preservation (either with respect to fruit or meat), so I guess you can call it fat poaching duck breast if you're not going to cook it all the way and store it for a long time. However, if anybody has a few duck breasts to spare and some duck fat I would love to hear if the method yields good results.

"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender

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#6
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11/17/08 at 8:55pm
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
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in regards to Confit beef, ive never done it,
but i have done confit Pork and Lamb, many times...
Just used Lamb or Pork shoulder (Thats the australian name for the cuts), cut it into apropriate size pieces, and held it together with butchers twine, and cooked it as per any other confit...

Also, i have ordered confit fillet of salmon which was nice... but not as good as pan seared.. or grilled...
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#7
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11/18/08 at 12:00pm
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  • Location: Ottawa, Ontario
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Confit pork is a common dish in various parts of France... either as a base for rillettes or just eaten as is.

"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender

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#8
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11/18/08 at 3:51pm
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  • Location: St. Louis Mo
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potted meat, cheese or shrimp differs from confit how?

cooking with all your senses.....

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#9
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11/21/08 at 3:03pm
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Confit of salmon fillet. That sounds interesting.

How was it utilized-as a fillet or a crumbled filler?
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#10
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11/21/08 at 3:05pm
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Generally for duck we use legs for confiting. Just salt 'em, let them rest overnight, then low & slow. That nice crispy skin that is left when you render out the fat makes a nice light snack. :chef:
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#11
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12/2/08 at 11:54am
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Cooked in Its Own Fat

Confit also generally implies that the product to be preserved is slowly cooked in its own fat. By that logic there is no true tomato or onion confit and the same would hold true for cheese and shrimp. Potted meat doesn't have to be cooked strictly in fat, just covered with layer of fat to keep the air out. Not really confit by my definition, rillettes instead , but delicious just the same.
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