Ingredients: Duck meat 4 sleeves (Origin Gers - France) , duck fat, salt, pepper
Average nutritional values per 100g: Energy 1190kJ/Kcal286; Fat 18,8g of which saturated fatty acids 7,26g; Carbohydrates 3,31g of which sugars 0,14g; Proteins 25,7g; Salt 1,44g.
On the plate of kings
We all learned in school that we owe the popularization of the chicken pot to our good King Henry IV. But did you know that it is also to this august sovereign that we owe the popularization of the unctuous dish that is duck confit? Born in Gascon country, in Béarn to be exact, the gallant king is known to have been raised on good things. And so it was quite natural that he asked, one day, to have some duck confit served to him. Until then, this dish was reserved for the peasantry: its great capacity of conservation made it possible to keep the meat available for a long time. The king's order allowed our confits to attract the attention of the great and noble from whose table it no longer left.
An ancestral recipe
The duck meat, traditionally the thighs and sleeves, is cooked in its fat, the virtues of which are no longer to be presented. This treatment allows not only a long conservation of the duck confit (several months) but also to obtain a smooth and gustatively rich flesh. It is a process that goes back to the Middle Ages: at the time, the Jews specialized in fattened duck, thanks to knowledge acquired from the Egyptians. They were the ones who took the habit of cooking and then preserving the duck in its own fat.
The benefits of Gers duck fat
The virtue of duck fat, let's talk about it exactly. The Gers is a department with exceptional longevity. Since always, the rate of centenarians as well as the life expectancy are higher there than in the rest of the country. This would be due to the traditional cuisine based on duck fat of the Gers. According to INRA studies, cooking with duck fat would have beneficial virtues that are unique in the world in terms of a longer life span.
Suggestions: Plunge the jar into a water bath to melt the fat, then remove the confit. Grill or pan fry the pieces, the skin should be golden brown. Reserve the fat to prepare accompanying vegetables such as sautéed potatoes or green beans without forgetting a perfect match with porcini or other mushrooms.
Our duck confit from the Gers to enjoy with a côte de Gascogne, côte de Saint-Monts or aMadiran.
