Marianne
Super Self-Sufficient
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I have no clue what that stuff is, but it's starting to freak me out... 
making rillettes, rillons and confits
- Thread starter big brown horse
- Start date
I found my books; anyone want me to post recipes, or were those links from Neko-chan enough? I have a recipe for duck confit, with notes for making goose or rabbit confit, as well as rillettes of pork or poultry.
- Thread starter
- #13
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
Pork and poultry recipes please!
OK 
This is from a book called *Good Stuff* by Helen Witty, 1997 - might be available in the library
I am para phrasing the recipe; any personal sounding comments are mine.
Confit de Canard (Duck confit)
1 duck, approx 4 1/2 lbs (I have used duck from the supermarket freezer; you duck raisers have a better option, but what I made was quite good.
1 1/2 lbs fresh pork fatback (or good homemade lard) + extra, as needed
1 Tbls kosher salt
1 Tbls quatre epices - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quatre-Epices-15362
2 tsp. crumbled dry thyme
1/2 tsp powdered bay leaves
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup peeled and coarsely chopped shallots
20 cloves of garlic
Rinse the duck and pat dry. Pull out and reserve all visible fat. Cut the duck into pieces, again reserving any fat. (Usually the drumsticks and thighs are the pieces used, but you can actually use the whole thing. I usually reserve the breasts for a separate recipe, but use everything else for the confit; the bony pieces are good used as flavoring in bean dishes etc.) So, cut the duck as you want - breasts, legs (drumsticks and thighs together, or separated, as you prefer), wings (maybe remove the tips for stock), the back in 2 pieces, the neck. Remove the skin from any bits reserved for stock, and from the neck - add to the fat pile.
Cut the duck fat and skin into small pieces, as well as the fatback. Render as usual (I use a crockpot). Strain, and refrigerate if not using immediately.
Meanwhile, mix the dry seasonings, and pat them into the thoroughly dry duck pieces. Sprinkle half of the shallots into a shallow baking dish, top with duck pieces in a single layer, and top with the rest of the shallots. Cover tightly (with plastic wrap or something else), and refrigerate for 1 to 3 days.
Melt the rendered fat over low heat; brush the shallots off the meat, and arrange the pieces in a heavy pot (again, I use a crockpot), sprinkling each layer with garlic cloves. The pieces should fit snugly without being tightly packed, and there should be ample room for the fat to cover the meat completely.
Add the melted fat, which should cover the meat - a couple of bits sticking up are OK, they will shrink down as they cook. If necessary melt and add some more lard.
Over med. heat, heat the pot to 195*F, only an occasional bubble rising to the surface (a very slow simmer). Cook the confit uncovered till all the pieces in turn have become tender enough to pierce with a wooden skewer or paring knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (more if using a crockpot; cook on HI initially, and then lower heat once the fat starts to bubble). As each piece is ready remove it.
When all the duck is removed carefully ladle the clear fat into another pot, leaving behind as much of the debris settled on the bottom as possible (the garlic is a nice little snack, if you like such things). Over medium heat cook the fat until it stops boiling, at which point the residual moisture will have evaporated. Be careful not to let it darken or burn.
Choose a heatproof container or two for storing the confit. Fill with boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and thoroughly dry. Pour in layer of fat, and then arrange the duck pieces, filling the spaces with fat; there should be no air pockets. Fill till there is a layer about an inch over the duck pieces. Cool to room temp., cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least a week before using. It will keep for months. Both the recipe author and I have kept confit for up to a year, with no loss of quality.
To use the confit - Set the container in a 300*F oven, just to soften the fat, no need to melt it entirely. Remove the required number of pieces, then smooth the fat back over the remaining meat, and re-cover and refrigerate.
Confit of goose - Follow above recipe, but you may not need the porkfat as the goose has such a goodly supply of its own. You will want to double the spices.
Confit of rabbit - Follow the above recipe; best way is to make a duck confit, and save the fat to use again with the rabbit. Otherwise use newly rendered duck or goose fat, and/or lard.
Save the fat. Either make another confit soon, or use it to saute potatoes, or enrich bean dishes, or saute the veggies at the beginning of so many stew/soup recipes.
This spice mixture is nice, but it isn't absolute. Use different spices as your taste dictates.
This is from a book called *Good Stuff* by Helen Witty, 1997 - might be available in the library
I am para phrasing the recipe; any personal sounding comments are mine.
Confit de Canard (Duck confit)
1 duck, approx 4 1/2 lbs (I have used duck from the supermarket freezer; you duck raisers have a better option, but what I made was quite good.
1 1/2 lbs fresh pork fatback (or good homemade lard) + extra, as needed
1 Tbls kosher salt
1 Tbls quatre epices - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quatre-Epices-15362
2 tsp. crumbled dry thyme
1/2 tsp powdered bay leaves
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup peeled and coarsely chopped shallots
20 cloves of garlic
Rinse the duck and pat dry. Pull out and reserve all visible fat. Cut the duck into pieces, again reserving any fat. (Usually the drumsticks and thighs are the pieces used, but you can actually use the whole thing. I usually reserve the breasts for a separate recipe, but use everything else for the confit; the bony pieces are good used as flavoring in bean dishes etc.) So, cut the duck as you want - breasts, legs (drumsticks and thighs together, or separated, as you prefer), wings (maybe remove the tips for stock), the back in 2 pieces, the neck. Remove the skin from any bits reserved for stock, and from the neck - add to the fat pile.
Cut the duck fat and skin into small pieces, as well as the fatback. Render as usual (I use a crockpot). Strain, and refrigerate if not using immediately.
Meanwhile, mix the dry seasonings, and pat them into the thoroughly dry duck pieces. Sprinkle half of the shallots into a shallow baking dish, top with duck pieces in a single layer, and top with the rest of the shallots. Cover tightly (with plastic wrap or something else), and refrigerate for 1 to 3 days.
Melt the rendered fat over low heat; brush the shallots off the meat, and arrange the pieces in a heavy pot (again, I use a crockpot), sprinkling each layer with garlic cloves. The pieces should fit snugly without being tightly packed, and there should be ample room for the fat to cover the meat completely.
Add the melted fat, which should cover the meat - a couple of bits sticking up are OK, they will shrink down as they cook. If necessary melt and add some more lard.
Over med. heat, heat the pot to 195*F, only an occasional bubble rising to the surface (a very slow simmer). Cook the confit uncovered till all the pieces in turn have become tender enough to pierce with a wooden skewer or paring knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (more if using a crockpot; cook on HI initially, and then lower heat once the fat starts to bubble). As each piece is ready remove it.
When all the duck is removed carefully ladle the clear fat into another pot, leaving behind as much of the debris settled on the bottom as possible (the garlic is a nice little snack, if you like such things). Over medium heat cook the fat until it stops boiling, at which point the residual moisture will have evaporated. Be careful not to let it darken or burn.
Choose a heatproof container or two for storing the confit. Fill with boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and thoroughly dry. Pour in layer of fat, and then arrange the duck pieces, filling the spaces with fat; there should be no air pockets. Fill till there is a layer about an inch over the duck pieces. Cool to room temp., cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least a week before using. It will keep for months. Both the recipe author and I have kept confit for up to a year, with no loss of quality.
To use the confit - Set the container in a 300*F oven, just to soften the fat, no need to melt it entirely. Remove the required number of pieces, then smooth the fat back over the remaining meat, and re-cover and refrigerate.
Confit of goose - Follow above recipe, but you may not need the porkfat as the goose has such a goodly supply of its own. You will want to double the spices.
Confit of rabbit - Follow the above recipe; best way is to make a duck confit, and save the fat to use again with the rabbit. Otherwise use newly rendered duck or goose fat, and/or lard.
Save the fat. Either make another confit soon, or use it to saute potatoes, or enrich bean dishes, or saute the veggies at the beginning of so many stew/soup recipes.
This spice mixture is nice, but it isn't absolute. Use different spices as your taste dictates.
This one is from *Fancy Pantry*, also by Helen Witty, 1986. Both these books have a wonderful selection of homemade *fancy pantry* recipes - from pates to jellies to pickles to mustards to meats and fish ... etc. I find them very useful. If you can find them you will see that the first book (with the confit) is sort of a re-hash of this one, but with enough new things to make it worthwhile on its own.
I have made the confit, but have not made the rillettes (yet).
Rillettes of Pork, Poultry, or both
2 lbs boneless fresh pork butt - or 3-3 1/2 chicken or turkey thighs and drumsticks (enough to yield 2 lbs of meat), or a duckling weighing 4 to 4 1/2 lbs (2 lbs trimmed meat)
1 lb boneless pork butt, regardless of meat chosen above
1 1/2 Tbls kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed dry thyme
3 large bay leaves, crumbled
About 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 lbs fresh pork fat, trimmed of all discolored bits, and ground coarsely or chopped small
2/3 cups water or dry white wine or a mixture
Quatre epices (see confit recipe)
Prepare the 2 lbs of meat: skin and bone the poultry (reserve the skin if using duck), cut the meat into strips about 1/2 inch thick; remove tendons from drumsticks. Place strips in a bowl.
Cut the 1 lb of pork into strips, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle all the seasonings over the meat, and mix in thoroughly. Cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Place the pork fat into a large heavy pot (as well as the duck skin, in 1' pieces, if using), cook over low heat, stirring often, till a lot of fat has rendered, and the bits of crackling are turning golden. Add the meat and the water/wine, and bring to a simmer. Cook the meat very slowly: cover the pot tightly, with foil and then the lid, and use the lowest possible heat on top of the stove; or place the pot in a 275*F oven; or transfer everything to a crockpot set to LO. Cook the rillettes until meltingly tender, about 4 hours on stovetop or oven, twice that in the crockpot.
Strain the meat through a colander set in a large bowl, pressing the meat to extract the fat. Pick out the bits of bay leaf.
For smooth rillettes (preferable for poultry) drop through the feed tube of the food processor and process to a coarse paste; be careful not to overprocess. For a coarser texture, traditional for pork, pull the pork into fibers with 2 forks.
Taste and adjust seasonings - more quatre epices, or perhaps some crushed garlic. Stir in enough of the liquid fat to make a creamy mixture (avoid adding any liquid from underneath the fat)
Heat the rillettes gently over low heat until very hot, about 10 minutes. Pack into small crocks or straight sided canning jars, making sure there are no air spaces, and leaving an inch of headspace. Let cool, uncovered, to lukewarm. Cover with a 1/4" layer of the reserved fat; let cool, and cover, for refrigerator or freezer* storage. Allow rillettes to come to room temp, scrape aside the fat before spooning out the rillettes; re-cover leftovers with fat.
Refrigerated it should keep for 4 months.
As with the confit, save the leftover fat for other uses.
*For freezer storage, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and then overwrap with a plastic bag. Should keep for a year.
I have made the confit, but have not made the rillettes (yet).
Rillettes of Pork, Poultry, or both
2 lbs boneless fresh pork butt - or 3-3 1/2 chicken or turkey thighs and drumsticks (enough to yield 2 lbs of meat), or a duckling weighing 4 to 4 1/2 lbs (2 lbs trimmed meat)
1 lb boneless pork butt, regardless of meat chosen above
1 1/2 Tbls kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed dry thyme
3 large bay leaves, crumbled
About 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 lbs fresh pork fat, trimmed of all discolored bits, and ground coarsely or chopped small
2/3 cups water or dry white wine or a mixture
Quatre epices (see confit recipe)
Prepare the 2 lbs of meat: skin and bone the poultry (reserve the skin if using duck), cut the meat into strips about 1/2 inch thick; remove tendons from drumsticks. Place strips in a bowl.
Cut the 1 lb of pork into strips, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle all the seasonings over the meat, and mix in thoroughly. Cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Place the pork fat into a large heavy pot (as well as the duck skin, in 1' pieces, if using), cook over low heat, stirring often, till a lot of fat has rendered, and the bits of crackling are turning golden. Add the meat and the water/wine, and bring to a simmer. Cook the meat very slowly: cover the pot tightly, with foil and then the lid, and use the lowest possible heat on top of the stove; or place the pot in a 275*F oven; or transfer everything to a crockpot set to LO. Cook the rillettes until meltingly tender, about 4 hours on stovetop or oven, twice that in the crockpot.
Strain the meat through a colander set in a large bowl, pressing the meat to extract the fat. Pick out the bits of bay leaf.
For smooth rillettes (preferable for poultry) drop through the feed tube of the food processor and process to a coarse paste; be careful not to overprocess. For a coarser texture, traditional for pork, pull the pork into fibers with 2 forks.
Taste and adjust seasonings - more quatre epices, or perhaps some crushed garlic. Stir in enough of the liquid fat to make a creamy mixture (avoid adding any liquid from underneath the fat)
Heat the rillettes gently over low heat until very hot, about 10 minutes. Pack into small crocks or straight sided canning jars, making sure there are no air spaces, and leaving an inch of headspace. Let cool, uncovered, to lukewarm. Cover with a 1/4" layer of the reserved fat; let cool, and cover, for refrigerator or freezer* storage. Allow rillettes to come to room temp, scrape aside the fat before spooning out the rillettes; re-cover leftovers with fat.
Refrigerated it should keep for 4 months.
As with the confit, save the leftover fat for other uses.
*For freezer storage, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and then overwrap with a plastic bag. Should keep for a year.
- Thread starter
- #16
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
Wow! Thank you for typing all that!! 
