I’ve been thinking of making the duck this way since having it in Wine and Sausage, local pub in W’combe a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly good for pub food. The reason it took me so long is that I’m the only fan of duck in our house, Iz is too small to appreciate it and Florian just doesn’t like it- frustrating. Ocado sells 2 duck legs per packet, decently priced unlike the breasts, so I bought some and made it today, for myself, Florian’s had a chicken kiev.

Lots of recipes are available for a confit beginner, I went with Raymond Blanc, who would know if not a Frenchman. So last night the legs got a nice rubbing of salt, pepper, garlic, fresh thyme and bay leaves and spent the night in the fridge, covered, marinating away. Now, the recipe says the marinade should be washed off and the legs patted dry. I didn’t stick them until the running water, I thought the amount of salt I used is not that great. So I brushed it all off and placed in the casserole dish, then covered with melted duck fat, at the temperature of 85 degrees, as Raymond recommends. It would have worked better if I had more of that fat, as they should have been submerged in it, but they weren’t, so I kept on turning them every now and then, within nearly 3 hours they were in the oven, uncovered in 150 degrees.

With the duck I fancied some braised cabbage. Delia’s recipe appealed to me most and what’s really awesome, my own Florian, much against cabbage in general, has had his kiev, dauphinoise and cabbage and he loved it. Creamy, he said, flavoursome, great combination. Delia’s cabbage is a keeper, maybe a bit weird to smell in the kitchen in summer, but I’ll happily make it around Christmas. Finely shredded, alongside an apple a shallot and a  garlic clove. Nicely spiced up with cinnamon, nutmeg, lots of brown sugar, salt and pepper.  A good splash of white wine vinegar, all this tossed together well , a know of butter on the top and into the oven, covered,150 degrees, for 2 hours.  It’s superb. 🙂

Obviously, with dauphinoise on the side, it is not the lightest and healthiest meal ever, mint tea to follow, but every now and then it is flavour above the calories. Amen.