Duck Confit Sugo Prepare four duck legs, confit-style, as described in Chapter 4 (see page 192). This can be done days in advance and stored in the fridge. If you’re not in the mood to wait a day or don’t have a slow cooker, check if your grocery store sells prepared duck confit. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil for making pasta. Prepare the duck meat by pulling the meat off two legs of duck confit, discarding the bones and skin or saving them for stock. In a pan, lightly sauté the duck leg meat over medium heat to brown it. Add to the pan: 28 oz (1 can, 800g) diced tomatoes 8 oz (1 can, 225g) tomato sauce 1/ 1/ 4– 2 teaspoons (0.25–0.5g) cayenne pepper Simmer the tomatoes and tomato sauce for five minutes or so. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta per the directions on the package: 1/ 3 pound (150g) long pasta—ideally, pappardelle (an egg-based noodle with a wide, flat shape) or spaghetti Once the pasta is cooked, strain (but do not rinse) the pasta and add it to the sauté pan. Add and stir to thoroughly combine: 2 tablespoons (2g, about 12 sprigs) fresh oregano or thyme leaves (dried is nowhere as good) 1/ 2 cup (100g) grated parmesan cheese 1/ 4 cup (50g) grated mozzarella cheese Want to see a video of me making this? Visit http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/book/duck-confit-sugo/ 28 &*B%RRNLQGE Cooking for Geeks 30 • You might find it easier to transfer the duck mixture to the pasta pot and stir in there, because your frying pan might not be big enough. When serving, you can grate parmesan cheese on top and sprinkle on more of the oregano or thyme leaves. • The secret to duck confit sugo is in its combination of ingredients: the heat of the capsaicin in the cayenne pepper is balanced by the fats and sugars in the cheese, the fats in the duck are cut by the acids in the tomatoes, and the aromatic volatile compounds in the fresh thyme bring a freshness to this that’s just plain delicious. If the world were going to end tomorrow, I’d want this tonight. Hello, Kitchen! Notes So, what can go wrong in making this dish? • Hot or cold pan? Any time you see a recipe call for something to be sautéed, that means you should be browning the food. Maillard reactions begin to occur at a noticeable rate at around 310°F / 154°C, and sucrose (sugar) caramelization and browning start to occur at around 356°F / 180°C. (We’ll cover these two reactions in Chapter 4.) You’ll have a hard time getting those reactions to occur when putting cold duck into a cold pan. On the other hand, you don’t want an empty pan to overheat, especially if you’re using a nonstick frying pan, which can offgas chemicals when too hot. When sautéing, heat the pan empty, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. (You can hover your hand above the surface to check for radiant heat.) • When separating the duck meat from the duck fat, skin, bones, and gelatin (the clear gloppy stuff that’s culinary gold), how do you determine what’s good and what’s not? Duck fat will be whitish and slippery; the meat will be darker and more strand-like. When in doubt, if it looks yummy, it probably is. And yes, the duck confit is already cooked, so feel free to sample the goods. Since the meat is to be browned, you want to avoid the gelatin, as it will melt and then burn as the water boils off. • When pulling fresh thyme off the stem, be careful not to get the actual stem in the food. It’s woody, chewy, and not enjoyable. Pinch the top of the stem with one hand and run the fingers of your other hand down the stem, against the direction the leaves grow in, to strip them off. Start by gripping near the bud end of the plant. To strip the leaves, run your fingers down toward the base of the stem. Think Like a Hacker &*B%RRNLQGE 29 30