Duck Rillettes

Duck rillettes is one of the most amazing culinary magic tricks of all time. Even though most of the spread is made up of fairly lean duck meat, by emulsifying it in a little butter, duck fat, and duck gelatin, you'll swear the final product has the fat content of the finest foie gras torchon. By the way, I miss foie gras torchon.

• Preparation Time: 1 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 6 mins
• Calories: 460 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon grated orange zest
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 6 (1/4 inch thick) slices fresh ginger
• 1 orange, zest cut into thin strips
• 1 bunch fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 1 whole duck
• 1 tablespoon brandy (such as Armagnac)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a 9x13 baking dish with 2 pieces of aluminum foil.

Step 2

Stir kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, and dried thyme together in a bowl. Mix garlic, ginger, orange zest strips, fresh thyme, and bay leaves together in another bowl.

Step 3

Season duck all over, inside and out, with about 2/3 of the kosher salt mixture. Fill duck cavity with garlic mixture.

Step 4

Place duck, breast-side up, into prepared baking dish and season with remaining salt mixture. Wrap duck tightly in aluminum foil.

Step 5

Roast in the preheated oven until meat pulls away from the bones, 5 to 6 hours. Cool duck with its accumulated juices, wrapped in aluminum foil, to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.

Step 6

Pick meat from bones and place in a bowl.

Step 7

Spoon all accumulated juices in the foil into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook until hot throughout; strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Let fat and stock separate; transfer fat from the top to another bowl.

Step 8

Mash duck meat, 3 tablespoons duck fat, 2 tablespoons duck stock, butter, brandy, parsley, chives, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and ground black pepper together in a bowl with a wooden spoon; transfer to a sealable container, press down, and drizzle a little duck fat over the top. Sprinkle thyme leaves, black pepper, and orange zest over the top. Seal the container and refrigerate for the flavors to blend, 1 to 3 days.