French – Confit De Canard With Watercress Salad

DISH INTRODUCTION / ORIGIN

Confit De Canard is one of the finest cuisines in the whole of the France. It is said to be originated in the region of Gascony. The people there claim this dish as one of their finest ones. This dish is basically an dish with duck as its main protein and this duck is made with a special method of preservation which is also called confit method. It is an ancient method of slow cooking of the protein inside of its own fat. In this method the duck is firstly coated with salt and other spices and is packed and is left in the freezer to marinate for about 24 hours minimum. When duck is fully ready it is served with an salad and some vinaigrette sauce.

HISTORY

The people of Gascony invented this dish by killing the birds in the summer season and preserving them for the winter season because in winter season it was very hard to find this protein. This is where the technique of confit was invented and it is being used up till now.

NAME MEANING

Confit De Canard is a French word so when translated into English it means “Duck Confit“

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE IT

• Duck leg
• Duck fat 1 cup
• Salt 1/4 Cup
• Black pepper 1 tsp
• Garlic 1 clove
• Tarragon 3 tbsp.
• Parsley
• Star anise 1

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE WATERCRESS SALAD

• Watercress 1 cup
• Fennel 1/2 cup
• Olive oil 1 tbsp.
• Vinegar 2 tsp
• Cucumbers 2
• Salt
• Black pepper

STEPS TO PREPARE WATERCRESS SALAD

• Take a small bowl and add some watercress leaves in it
• Add some chopped cucumbers in it
• Add some fennel as well
• Drizzle the given amount of olive oil in the bowl
• As well as some salt and pepper
• Mix it all together and your salad is ready

STEPS TO PREPARE CONFIT DUCK

• Take a bowl and add the given amount of garlic, parsley , salt and pepper in it.
• Add the tarragon in the same bowl as well as the star anise.
• Mix them all together and add the duck leg in it and cover the whole leg with the mixture.

• Cover the bowl and put it in the freezer to marinate it for about 24 hours minimum.
• After the marination take out the duck leg and rinse all the mixture of salt and other spices off it and put it aside.
• Take a pot and add duck fat in it at medium heat

• Add the duck legs in it and cook for 40-50.

• We are not cooking it fully . When the 50 minutes are up take out the duck legs from the duck fat and put it in the oven for 1 hour for proper cooking of it.
• After 1 hour take out the duck and put it aside to let it rest.
• Your duck is ready

• Present your dish by adding the salad with the duck.

NUTRITION FACTS OF CONFIT DE CANARD

• Calories 481
• Protein 25g
• Total Fat 40g
• Cholesterol 135mg
• Carbohydrates 4g
• Potassium 59mg
• Sodium 1.5mg

NUTRITION FACTS OF WATERCRESS SALAD

• Calories  4
• Protein  0.8 grams
• Fat  0 grams
• Carbs  0.4 grams
• Fiber   0.2 grams
• Vitamin A  22%
• Vitamin C  24%
• Vitamin K  106%

HEALTH FACTS

This dish once a week is a delight for a person as it helps the human body but due to high amounts of fat used it is not recommended to eat it everyday. It can harm the human body but with the use of watercress salad it is not that much harmful. Watercress salad add another dimension to the flavor and also it plays an vital role in balancing the dish.