Confit

Confit is a French method of cooking food slowly in fat at a low temperature, well below frying heat. Duck or goose legs are first salted, then cooked submerged in their own fat for hours until they are tender enough to pull apart. Garlic, tomatoes and fish such as tuna are also cooked in oil this way. The word comes from the French confire, to preserve, because the cooked meat was stored under its fat.

How to do it

For duck legs:

1. Rub the legs with salt, a little pepper, thyme and garlic. Cover and chill for 12 to 24 hours to cure.
2. Rinse off the salt and pat the legs dry.
3. Lay them snugly in a small ovenproof dish and cover completely with melted duck fat.
4. Cook in the oven at 120 to 135°C (250 to 275°F) for 2½ to 3½ hours. The fat should bubble very gently, never fry.
5. Cool the legs in the fat.
6. To serve, lift out a leg, scrape off the fat and roast or pan-fry it skin side down until crisp.

For garlic, cover peeled cloves with olive oil and cook at the lowest heat until soft and pale gold, about 40 minutes.

How to tell it is done

The meat pulls easily from the bone, and a skewer slides into the thickest part with no resistance. Garlic cloves squash with a fork.

How to store it

Duck confit kept fully covered in fat in the fridge lasts a few weeks; freeze it for longer. Garlic or herbs in oil is different: low-acid food in oil can allow botulism to grow. Keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it. Never store it at room temperature.

Common mistakes

• Fat that is too hot. The meat fries and dries out instead of turning tender.
• Skipping the salt cure. The meat tastes flat.
• Storing garlic confit at room temperature. This is a real safety risk.
• Throwing out the fat. Strain it and use it to roast potatoes.

In recipes

Today "confit" is also used loosely for anything cooked slowly in oil, such as oil-poached salmon, or slowly in sugar syrup, as in confit citrus peel.