Educational moment 🙂 “Confit” is actually any kind of food that is cooked slowly so that it can be stored for a long time. Food is cooked in the oven at a low temperature in a large amount of fat or oil, and then in the same oil it is transferred into a closed container and stored in a dark, cool place for up to a year. Confit is one of the oldest ways to store food. And, taking into account that this is the French way, you can rest assured that it is also incredibly tasty 🙂
Educational moment 🙂 “Confit” is actually any kind of food that is cooked slowly so that it can be stored for a long time. Food is cooked in the oven at a low temperature in a large amount of fat or oil, and then in the same oil it is transferred into a closed container and stored in a dark, cool place for up to a year. Confit is one of the oldest ways to store food. And, taking into account that this is the French way, you can rest assured that it is also incredibly tasty 🙂- Prep time: 15 minutes + 6 hours’ marinating
- Cook time: 3 hours
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: challenging
- Course: main dish
- Cookware: cast iron casserole
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 4 goose legs
- 800 g goose or duck fat
- 2 large, hard winter pears, peeled, cut into 4 pieces
- 300 ml dry red wine
- 100 g sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
Cooking method
Step 1
Rub the goose legs with salt and pepper, put in a bowl, tighten with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Step 2
Place the pears, wine, sugar, and broken cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the pears are soft, but retain their shape. Remove from heat and let the pears poach for several hours.
Step 3
Heat oven to 130˚С. Brush away excess salt from the goose legs, do not wash, and place them in a deep baking dish. Melt the goose fat, pour over the legs. Add thyme, garlic, bay leaf. Roast in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes, or until the meat practically comes off the bone.
Step 4
Heat oven to 190°C. Remove the legs from the fat and transfer to a baking tray. Roast the goose legs in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with poached pears.
My tips and tricks:
Confit goose legs only get better over time. In order to store them for up to 2 months, after step 1, take a sterile Kilner jar, put the legs there and fill the jar with fat so that legs are completely covered. Close the lid tightly and refrigerate. And if you would like to eat them right away, do not discard the remaining fat. Strain the fat into a container and put it in the refrigerator. It is very handy to cook with goose fat – it does not burn at high temperatures; it has a very pleasant aroma and delicate structure. You can bake potatoes with it or, for example, make quiche batter, fry chicken liver or make confit goose legs again.
- 4 goose legs
- 800 g goose or duck fat
- 2 large, hard winter pears, peeled, cut into 4 pieces
- 300 ml dry red wine
- 100 g sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
- Rub the goose legs with salt and pepper, put in a bowl, tighten with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Place the pears, wine, sugar, and broken cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the pears are soft, but retain their shape. Remove from heat and let the pears poach for several hours.
- Heat oven to 130˚С. Brush away excess salt from the goose legs, do not wash, and place them in a deep baking dish. Melt the goose fat, pour over the legs. Add thyme, garlic, bay leaf. Roast in the oven for 2½ hours, or until the meat practically comes off the bone.
- Heat oven to 190°C. Remove the legs from the fat and transfer to a baking tray. Roast the goose legs in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with poached pears.