Preparation time
45 Mins
Cooking time
2 hours plus curing
Serves
4
with Bordelaise Lentils, Smoked Parsley & Sauce Vierge
The spectacular McLaren Vale region, long recognised as a mecca for gourmet food and wine lovers, is home to some of the most dynamic winemakers in the country. Among their ranks is Serafino, a family-owned and operated winery that has helped drive Australia’s embrace of new wave varietals like Tempranillo – that Serafino’s assistant winemaker and talented home chef, Gian Maglieri, particularly enjoys with this confit duck dish from the Serafino restaurant.
INGREDIENTS
CONFIT DUCK LEG
4 duck Marylands (250g-300g each), Frenched
100g sea
6 sprigs
2 garlic cloves, sliced
10 black peppercorns
2 juniper berries
4 bay leaves
800g duck fat
SAUCE VIERGE
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chervil
1 clove garlic, crushed
150ml olive oil
10ml tarragon vinegar
Salt and white pepper to season
BORDELAISE JUS
500ml flavoursome dry red wine
2 eschallots, finely diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
375ml beef stock
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
60g cold butter, chopped
Salt and pepper
Salt and white pepper to season
BORDELAISE LENTILS
200g French lentils, soaked overnight in water
PARSLEY CREAM
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 bunches flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
100g crème fraîche
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and white pepper, to season
30g unsalted butter
METHOD
1. Place duck legs in an airtight container in a single layer. Combine salt, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, juniper berries and bay leaves in a bowl. Toss with duck to coat evenly. Seal and refrigerate to cure for 2 hours or longer, if time permits.
2. Pre-heat oven to 130°C. Wipe the salt from the duck, rinse duck and pat dry with paper towels. Place duck legs in a single layer in a casserole dish along with garlic and bay leaves. Place duck fat in a saucepan and heat until melted, then pour fat over duck legs until completely submerged. Cook duck in oven for 2 hours or until meat is very tender. 3. For sauce vierge: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside to infuse until ready to serve.
4. For Bordelaise jus: Combine red wine, eschallots, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Add beef stock and parsley, bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and discard herbs.
5. Return sauce to same cleaned pan, and stir in butter piece by piece over low heat until sauce is smooth.
6. For Bordelaise lentils: Gently cook the lentils in the jus over a low heat for
20 minutes, or until tender.
7. For parsley cream: Bring 2 litres of salted water and garlic to the boil. Add parsley leaves, cook for 5 minutes. Strain and refresh in cold water. Dry off well.
8. Combine parsley, crème fraîche and nutmeg in a saucepan over low heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Place in a food processor and process to form a paste. Season to taste and stir in butter.
9. To serve: Place sauce vierge, parsley cream and lentils on plate, top with duck and garnish with extra parsley leaves.
Wine Match:
Serafino Bellissimo Tempranillo 2019