Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck confit
for a dinner party this Saturday.
This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
Tks,
Richard.

"Mr. Wizard" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "richard green" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
> confit
> > for a dinner party this Saturday.
> > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> > Tks,
> > Richard.
> >
> maybe two days.
>
>

Nonsense. I have kept it for a year and it is perfectly good. A few weeks is
nothing.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Mr. Wizard" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "richard green" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
> confit
> > for a dinner party this Saturday.
> > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> > Tks,
> > Richard.
> >
> maybe two days.
>
>

Nonsense. I have kept it for a year and it is perfectly good. A few weeks is
nothing.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"richard green" > wrote in message
...
> Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
confit
> for a dinner party this Saturday.
> This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> Tks,
> Richard.
>
>
>

If you carefully make sure there is no layer of meat juice and stuff
underneath, ie it's pure clean fat, then it will keep for several weeks at
least in the fridge. If you are worried then freeze it and it will keep
longer.

David

"richard green" > wrote in message
...
> Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
confit
> for a dinner party this Saturday.
> This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> Tks,
> Richard.
>
>
>

If you carefully make sure there is no layer of meat juice and stuff
underneath, ie it's pure clean fat, then it will keep for several weeks at
least in the fridge. If you are worried then freeze it and it will keep
longer.

David

If it's confit, don't you want to make it now and let it "cure" in the duck
fat?
Long ago, the whole point of confit was to act as a preservative, the great
flavor was a bonus.
"richard green" > wrote in message
...
> Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
confit
> for a dinner party this Saturday.
> This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> Tks,
> Richard.
>
>
>

Hi

We agree with those who say the duck fat stays for quite a while. We
freeze ours so that we can keep it even longer.

By the way, duck is not the only confit to make. We have made Guinea
Hen (Faraona), Rabbit, and Chicken confit. Hmmmmmmm!!

Next we will try Poisson.

Regards

Jerry @ The Artisan
http://www.theartisan.net

"richard green" > wrote in message
...
> Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
confit
> for a dinner party this Saturday.
> This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> Tks,
> Richard.
>
>
>

"Mr. Wizard" a écrit :

> "richard green" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
> confit
> > for a dinner party this Saturday.
> > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> > Tks,
> > Richard.
> >
> maybe two days.

ROTFLMAO.
Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years. Duck fat
by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.

Nathalie in Switzerland

> Kate Connally writes:
>
>>Nathalie Chiva wrote:
>>> "Mr. Wizard" a écrit :
>> > > "richard green" wrote:
>> > > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
>> > confit
>> > > for a dinner party this Saturday.
>> > > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
>> > > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
>> > >
>> > maybe two days.
>>
>> ROTFLMAO.
>> Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years. Duck fat
>> by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
>
>Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
>in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
>duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
>duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
>smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
>fridge. You can't have it both ways.

Confit, refrigerated, won't keep for years. perhaps 6 months... at room
temperature it will go bad in a few days... same as plain old rendered fat
(schmaltz). But now that we have freezers there is no longer a need to prepare
confit, simply freeze the cooked meat and fat separately

confit [kohn-FEE, kon-FEE]
This specialty of Gascony, France, is derived from an ancient method of
preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly
cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and
covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative. Confit
can be refrigerated up to 6 months. Confit d'oie and confit de canard are
preserved goose and preserved duck, respectively.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995
based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

Kate Connally a écrit :

> Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> >
> > "Mr. Wizard" a écrit :
> >
> > > "richard green" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to make some duck
> > > confit
> > > > for a dinner party this Saturday.
> > > > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > > > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
> > > > Tks,
> > > > Richard.
> > > >
> > > maybe two days.
> >
> > ROTFLMAO.
> > Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years. Duck fat
> > by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
>
> Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
> in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
> duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
> duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
> smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
> fridge. You can't have it both ways.

It would keep for years if it were sealed in a can. However, since at home, once
the duck confit can is opened, one has to stock the remaining fat without
sealing it, it has to be kept in the fridge and only lasts for months.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
> Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> > Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years. Duck
fat
> > by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
>
> Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
> in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
> duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
> duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
> smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
> fridge. You can't have it both ways.
>
> Kate

Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes, UNSEALED
duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.

Charlie

>Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes, UNSEALED
>duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.
>
>Charlie

Butter will keep for months in the fridge too, Charlie. But a buttered sardine
sandwich will keep maybe 2-3 days... plain rendered fat and fat with meat
(confit) are two different things.

Explain what *you* mean by "SEALED". With confit the fat IS the seal... to be
called confit the fat and ONLY the fat is the seal, and nothing else. Confit
must be refrigerated and used within months, not years... and in fact once the
original fat seal is violated and even thouugh returned to the fridge the
product must then be consumed within *days*. If you're tawkin' vacuum sealed
tins than that is *NOT* confit, then it's tinned potted meat (which needs no
refrigeration - a totally different product), like Hormel's Spam, Vienna
Sausage, even tinned tuna, Charlie.

Confit is an old form of meat preservation, from before refrigeration, a method
employed to keep meat through the winter only, *one* winter, (naturally where
winters were cold) without using chemical preservatives (although confit is
generally prepared with rather high salt content), Confit is not something that
most folks today find appealing, which is why it has not become nearly so
popular as other meat preservation forms, like dried sausage... there's a heck
of a lot more pepperoni pizza consumed than confit pizza.

http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/md...anard_ill.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...6_6181,00.html


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

PENMART01 a écrit :

> Explain what *you* mean by "SEALED".

In a can or glass jar, sterilized.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
> Charles Gifford wrote:
> >
> > "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> > > > Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years.
Duck
> > fat
> > > > by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
> > >
> > > Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
> > > in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
> > > duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
> > > duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
> > > smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
> > > fridge. You can't have it both ways.
> > >
> > > Kate
> >
> > Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes,
UNSEALED
> > duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.
> >
> > Charlie
>
> Yeah, well, she never said anything about sealed in a can.
> If you make homemade confit that is not sealed in a can
> then I would assume the confit would last the same amount
> of time as just plain duck fat. I assumed that's what
> she meant as that had been the topic of conversion -
> homemade confit - and she never stated that she was
> comparing commerically canned confit with home rendered
> and stored duck fat.
>

And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
"sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years. Here's
the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking, and
if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you keep
confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Tks for these, they look really good. It would be interesting to try them
both (on separate occasions) as they are quite different. Interesting that
the first is cooked for so long, and of course the lamb makes the second a
different dish altogether.
Cheers,
Richard.
"alzelt" > wrote in message
news
>
>
> richard green wrote:
> > Speaking of accompanying white beans, the duck confit for which the fat
is
> > intended is to be used in a cassoulet. One of my guests lived in the
south
> > of France and is hankering after an authentic culinary reminder of her
stay
> > there.
> > I understand that there is no one "real" cassoulet recipe. Any favourite
to
> > share?
> > ....Richard.
> >
> Try these on for size:
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Cassoulet
>
> Recipe By : Saveur January/February 1998
> Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
> Categories : Beans French
> Game Main Dish
> Meats Stew
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 4 cups dried great northern or other small white
> beans
> 4 fresh ham hocks (about 1 lb. each)
> 3 large yellow onions -- peeled and quartered
> 5 sprigs thyme
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper
> 1/3 lb. fresh pork rind -- cubed
> 1 ham bone
> 1 tbsp duck fat
> 1 lb. unseasoned fresh pork sausage -- (about 4 links),
> cut into 2''
> piece
> 1 large head garlic -- separated into
> cloves and peeled (about 3/4
> cup)
> Confit of 1 quartered duck or 4 whole legs
> 1/4 tsp nutmeg
>
> 1. Rinse beans thoroughly, pick through and discard stones,
> then set beans aside. (See We Didn't Know Beans for more
> about preparing beans.)
>
> 2. Place ham hocks in a large pot. Add 1 onion, thyme, and salt
> and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
> Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 2
> hours. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 15 minutes, then
> drain ham hocks, discarding onion and thyme. Cut meat from
> each hock into 2 pieces. Discard bones and set meat aside.
>
> 3. Meanwhile, place pork rind, ham bone, and 1 onion in a large,
> heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently,
> until pork rind is rendered, about 20 minutes. Add beans and
> enough water to cover by 1/2'' (about 8 cups) and season with
> salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until
> beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Adjust salt, if necessary,
> then set beans aside to cool.
>
> 4. Heat duck fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add
> sausages and cook, turning to brown on all sides, for about 10
> minutes. Place garlic, remaining onion, and 1/2 cup water in a
> blender and purée until smooth. Add garlic paste to sausages
> and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, turning sausages
> occasionally, for 10 minutes more.
>
> 5. Preheat oven to 350°. Using a slotted spoon, remove and
> discard ham bone and onion from beans (it is okay if some
> pieces of onion remain). Using a slotted spoon, transfer about
> half the beans with pork rind to a heavy wide-mouthed 5-6 qt.
> cast-iron, clay, or earthenware pot, about 4'' high (see The
> Cassole). Assemble cassoulet in layers: Place the meat from
> the ham hocks on top of the beans and cover with sausages
> and garlic paste. Divide duck into 8 pieces by separating
> drumsticks from thighs and, if using a whole duck, splitting
> breasts in half crosswise through the bone. Arrange duck on
> sausages, then spoon in remaining beans with pork rind.
> Season with nutmeg and add just enough reserved bean
> cooking liquid to cover the beans (about 3 cups). Reserve
> remaining liquid. Bake, uncovered, until cassoulet comes to a
> simmer and a crust begins to form, about 1 hour.
>
> 6. Reduce heat to 250° and cook for 3 hours, checking every
> hour or so to make sure cassoulet is barely simmering (a little
> liquid should be bubbling around edges of cassoulet). If
> cassoulet appears dry, break crust (browned top layer) by gently
> pushing it down with the back of a spoon, allowing a new layer
> of beans to rise to the surface. Add just enough reserved bean
> cooking liquid (or water) to moisten beans.
>
> 7. Remove cassoulet from oven. Allow to cool completely, then
> cover with a lid or aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
>
> 8. Remove cassoulet from refrigerator and allow to warm to
> room temperature for at least 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat
> oven to 350°. Bake for 1 hour. When cassoulet begins to
> simmer, break crust and add enough warm water to just cover
> beans (about 1 cup). Reduce heat to 250° and bake, breaking
> crust and adding water as needed, for 3 hours. Remove
> cassoulet from oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve
> cassoulet from the pot, breaking the crust at the table.
>
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> NOTES : A beautiful, well-browned crust is one of the glories of
> cassoulet, but how often the crust should be broken and
> pushed down into the cassoulet while it cooks is open to
> debate. Étienne Rousselot, owner of Hostellerie Étienne, whose
> recipe is adapted here, recommends breaking the crust often
> enough to keep the beans moist—at least four times. Others
> say that it should be broken every hour. We prefer to break the
> crust only as necessary (see steps 6 and 8). Rousselot defies
> Castelnaudary tradition by often using duck instead of goose; he
> finds it more tender. Cassoulet may be cooked for seven hours
> straight, but we prefer it cooked over two days.
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Cassoulet (Fine Cooking)
>
> Recipe By : Jean-Pierre Moulle, Fine Cooking, 01/02
> Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
> Categories : Beans Dinner
> French Game
> Lamb Main Dish
> Meats Pork
> Sausage Stew
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
>
> FOR THE BEAN STEW:
> 1 lb. dry white beans -- such as cannelini
> or Great Northern
> 1 pig’s foot or 1 small fresh ham hock
> 3/4 lb. pork belly or pancetta
> 1/2 lb. pork rind
> 1 medium carrot -- halved
> 1/2 large onion -- peeled and halved,
> each half studded with
> 1 whole clove
> 1/2 tomato -- peeled and seeded,
> or 1/2 cup canned whole
> tomatoes -- drained
> 1/2 rib celery -- halved
> 1/2 head garlic -- halved across the
> top
> 1 bay leaf -- several sprigs of
> fresh thyme, and several parsley
> stems -- tied together in a
> bouquet
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper
> FOR THE LAMB STEW:
> 1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder -- neck, or shank meat
> -- (about 2 lb. on the
> bone)
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper
> 1/4 cup duck fat or olive oil
> 1 medium carrot -- peeled and coarsely
> chopped
> 1 onion -- peeled and coarsely
> chopped
> 3/4 cup dry white wine
> 2 tomatoes -- peeled and seeded,
> or 2 cups canned whole tomatoes,
> lightly squeezed
> 1 bay leaf -- several sprigs of
> fresh thyme, and several
> parsley stems -- tied together in a
> bouquet
> 2 cloves garlic
> 2 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth or
> duck stock
> FOR THE CASSOULET:
> 1/4 cup duck fat or olive oil
> 1/2 lb. garlic sausage or sweet Italian sausage
> that’s
> not seasoned with fennel
> 4 duck confit legs
> 1 clove garlic
> Bean stew (see the recipe above)
> Lamb stew (see the recipe above)
> 2 cups coarse -- unseasoned
> breadcrumbs, toasted, preferably
> from a baguette
> Extra chicken broth or duck stock for
> moistening the
> cassoulet during baking -- if needed
>
> Make the bean stew: Soak the beans overnight in enough cold water to
> cover them well. Drain, rinse, and pick through them for stones
> and damaged beans. In a large saucepan, cover the pig’s foot or ham
> hock, pork belly or pancetta, and pork rind with cold water.
> Bring to a boil, simmer for 3 mm., drain, and rinse in cold water.
> Reserve. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with lukewarm
> water. Bring to a boil, drain, and return to the pan. Cover with hot
> water. Add the carrots, onion, tomato, celery, garlic,
> and herb bouquet. Bring to a boil, add the reserved pig’s foot or ham
> hock, pork belly or pancetta, and pork rind. Simmer,
> covered, for 1 1/2 hours, until completely tender (don’t add salt yet).
> Transfer to a large pan to cool and reserve
> the beans in their cooking liquid. Remove the carrot, onion, and herb
> bouquet; discard. Taste and season with salt and
> pepper as needed, but be prudent, as the pork parts add a good bit of
> salty flavor.
>
> Meanwhile, make the lamb stew: Cut the lamb into 2 1/2-inch pieces.
> Season with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy sauté pan over
> medium-high heat, melt the duck fat or heat the oil. Sear the lamb
> pieces until well browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon
> and reserve. Add the carrot and onion, lower the heat to medium, and
> cover the pan. Sweat the vegetables until tender
> but not browned, about 6 mm. Raise the heat, add the white wine, and
> boil, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon,
> until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the reserved lamb and any
> juices, the tomatoes, herb bouquet, garlic, and
> broth or stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer,
> covered, until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour, skimming
> off the fat and froth as needed. Discard the herb bouquet and reserve
> the lamb stew until it’s time to assemble the cassoulet.
>
> To assemble the cassoulet: Heat the oven to 250F. In a medium-size sauté
> pan over medium-high heat, heat half of the duck fat or
> olive oil. Add the sausage; brown it on all sides. When cool enough to
> handle, cut it into six pieces. Cut the duck confit legs
> in half at the joint. Rub the garlic clove over the inside of an
> earthenware casserole, an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven,
> or a large ceramic soufflé mold. Retrieve the pig’s foot or ham hock,
> pork rind, and pork belly or pancetta from the bean stew.
> Discard the pig’s foot or ham hock bones. (If you’ve used a ham hock,
> tear off any remaining meat and add it to the bean stew).
> Cut the pork belly or pancetta into 1/2-inch pieces and reserve. Cut
> the pork rind into 1/2-inch pieces and scatter them over
> the bottom of the dish.
>
> With a slotted spoon, transfer one-third of the beans to the dish. Do
> the same with half the pork belly or pancetta, all of the
> duck confit, half the lamb stew (again, use a slotted spoon, because
> you’ll be using the cooking liquid later), and all of the
> sausage. Cover the meats with another one-third of beans, the remaining
> pork belly and lamb stew, and finish with the
> last one-third of beans. Combine the bean juices with the lamb sauce,
> taste for seasoning (remembering that the duck confit
> is salty), and pour just enough over the dish to barely cover the beans.
>
> Sprinkle the dish with the breadcrumbs and drizzle the remaining duck
> fat (melt it first if it’s still solid) or olive oil over the
> breadcrumbs. Bake for 2 1/2 hours and then raise the heat to 350F and
> bake until the crust is a rich golden brown and the cassoulet is
> bubbling around the edges, about another 30 mm. Check the cassoulet
> during baking-if it’s getting too dry, add more broth or stock; if the
> crust is browning too quickly, cover it with foil. Let the cassoulet
> rest for at least 30 mm. before serving. Bring the entire dish to the
> table and serve each guest some crust, beans, and pieces of the
> different meats.
>
>
>
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> NOTES : This recipe serves six generously, and it’s easily doubled if
> you want to make more (plus, leftovers are delicious). If you
> don’t have the traditional deep earthenware casserole, use a 5-quart
> enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or a ceramic soufflé dish-the vessel
> needs to be wide enough for a crust to form. For pork rind, order it or
> buy salt pork and cut the rind off, freezing the salt pork
> for another use. Serves six.
>
> --
> Alan
>
> "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
> avoid the people, you might better stay home."
> --James Michener
>

Tks Victor,
This recipe is quite different from those posted by Alan in this thread, and
seems less labour intensive. I'm looking forward to trying them all.
Cheers,
Richard.



"Victor Sack" > wrote in message
.. .
> richard green > wrote:
>
> > I understand that there is no one "real" cassoulet recipe. Any favourite
to
> > share?
>
> I (re)posted one a couple of months ago. See
>
<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...sackv@uni-dues
seldorf.de>
>
> Victor

Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Charles Gifford wrote:
> > >
> > > "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> > > > > Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years.
> Duck
> > > fat
> > > > > by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
> > > >
> > > > Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
> > > > in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
> > > > duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
> > > > duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
> > > > smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
> > > > fridge. You can't have it both ways.
> > > >
> > > > Kate
> > >
> > > Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes,
> UNSEALED
> > > duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.
> > >
> > > Charlie
> >
> > Yeah, well, she never said anything about sealed in a can.
> > If you make homemade confit that is not sealed in a can
> > then I would assume the confit would last the same amount
> > of time as just plain duck fat. I assumed that's what
> > she meant as that had been the topic of conversion -
> > homemade confit - and she never stated that she was
> > comparing commerically canned confit with home rendered
> > and stored duck fat.
> >
>
> And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
> from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
> "sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years. Here's
> the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking, and
> if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you keep
> confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
> gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.

It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
to the meat if it were in it long enough.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Charles Gifford wrote:
> > >
> > > "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> > > > > Duck confit (which is smothered in duck fat) will keep for years.
> Duck
> > > fat
> > > > > by itself, unsealed, will keep for months in the fridge.
> > > >
> > > > Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. If duck smothered
> > > > in duck fat will keep for years then why won't just the
> > > > duck fat keep for years????? It seems to me that if the
> > > > duck fat only keeps for months in the fridge then duck
> > > > smothered in duck fat would only keep for months in the
> > > > fridge. You can't have it both ways.
> > > >
> > > > Kate
> > >
> > > Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes,
> UNSEALED
> > > duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.
> > >
> > > Charlie
> >
> > Yeah, well, she never said anything about sealed in a can.
> > If you make homemade confit that is not sealed in a can
> > then I would assume the confit would last the same amount
> > of time as just plain duck fat. I assumed that's what
> > she meant as that had been the topic of conversion -
> > homemade confit - and she never stated that she was
> > comparing commerically canned confit with home rendered
> > and stored duck fat.
> >
>
> And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
> from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
> "sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years. Here's
> the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking, and
> if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you keep
> confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
> gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.

It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
to the meat if it were in it long enough.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

No, but I will be feasting on duck confit. I ordered 3 kilos of solid duck
fat, chopped, skin on with the duck marylands. I then rendered it myself
with some water and fresh lemonthyme - left me with 2 litres of beautiful
golden duck fat, some of which I'll use in the cassoulet and some I'll
retain for roasting potatoes to go with the leftover confit.

....Richard.

"Doug Freyburger" > wrote in message
om...
> richard green wrote:
> >
> > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to
> > make some duck confit for a dinner party this Saturday.
>
> You must have feasted on roast duck. I've gotten about 1-2
> cups of rendered fat from each bird when roasting, so that's
> 4-8 birds.
>
> > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
>
> The fat itself will last months in the fridge. Use it for
> frying eggs, sauteeing anything, etc.
>
> I don't know how long the entire confit collection lasts.
> It should be a couple of weeks when kept cool. Confit is
> a preservation process.

No, but I will be feasting on duck confit. I ordered 3 kilos of solid duck
fat, chopped, skin on with the duck marylands. I then rendered it myself
with some water and fresh lemonthyme - left me with 2 litres of beautiful
golden duck fat, some of which I'll use in the cassoulet and some I'll
retain for roasting potatoes to go with the leftover confit.

....Richard.

"Doug Freyburger" > wrote in message
om...
> richard green wrote:
> >
> > Yesterday I rendered down some 2 litres of duck fat to
> > make some duck confit for a dinner party this Saturday.
>
> You must have feasted on roast duck. I've gotten about 1-2
> cups of rendered fat from each bird when roasting, so that's
> 4-8 birds.
>
> > This has now been postponed for three weeks, so......
> > How long does duck fat keep in the fridge?
>
> The fat itself will last months in the fridge. Use it for
> frying eggs, sauteeing anything, etc.
>
> I don't know how long the entire confit collection lasts.
> It should be a couple of weeks when kept cool. Confit is
> a preservation process.

"PENMART01" > wrote in message
...
> >Confit SEALED in it's crock will keep for years. As Nathalie notes,
UNSEALED
> >duck fat will keep for months in the fridge.
> >
> >Charlie
>
> Butter will keep for months in the fridge too, Charlie. But a buttered
sardine
> sandwich will keep maybe 2-3 days... plain rendered fat and fat with meat
> (confit) are two different things.

I was speaking of duck fat, not the confit with the duck included.

> Explain what *you* mean by "SEALED". With confit the fat IS the seal...
to be
> called confit the fat and ONLY the fat is the seal, and nothing else.
Confit
> must be refrigerated and used within months, not years...

Sealed in the crock when first made. It is preserved with the fat. The crock
can be sealed in a variety of ways other than using fat and certainly not
fat that was expected to be consumed. This method of preservation predates
refrigeration of course and was safe to use after at least a year of
storage. Many meat products were kept this way. In the days of sailing
ships, some meats were kept in kegs or even barrels preserved with fat. The
fat CAN become rancid through a bad seal or too long of a storage.

> and in fact once the
> original fat seal is violated and even thouugh returned to the fridge the
> product must then be consumed within *days*.

I think that depends Sheldon. If the seal (of the crock, pot, jar, glass, or
can) is broken the confit will keep for months. If the meat is exposed from
under the original fat, it will go bad in a matter of a few days. If you
have just the fat and no meat, it will keep for months. I have containers of
beef, bacon and other fats in my refrigerator, some of which are well over a
year old, that are just fine with no sign of rancidity. Rendered and
clarified fats such as homemade lard and tallow are even more stable -
although I admit to freezing mine ;-).

> If you're tawkin' vacuum sealed
> tins than that is *NOT* confit, then it's tinned potted meat (which needs
no
> refrigeration - a totally different product), like Hormel's Spam, Vienna
> Sausage, even tinned tuna, Charlie.

Confit is sold canned these days Sheldon. It is also sold in crocks with
rubber ring seals. These need no refrigeration but should be kept in a cool
location.

> Confit is an old form of meat preservation, from before refrigeration, a
method
> employed to keep meat through the winter only, *one* winter, (naturally
where
> winters were cold) without using chemical preservatives (although confit
is
> generally prepared with rather high salt content), Confit is not something
that
> most folks today find appealing, which is why it has not become nearly so
> popular as other meat preservation forms, like dried sausage... there's a
heck
> of a lot more pepperoni pizza consumed than confit pizza.

I must admit that confit pizza lacks interest for me! You are quite correct
that confit is little used these days. Still, it is available; albeit in
safer containers. We aren't too far apart afterall. I think you are more
careful than I am. I admit to being a slob.

Charlie

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
> >
> >
> > And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
> > from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
> > "sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years.
Here's
> > the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking,
and
> > if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you
keep
> > confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
> > gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.
>
> It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
> to the meat if it were in it long enough.
>
> Kate

It would Kate, if the fat were to become rancid below the top level. That
would be bad confit management! Even if the fat became slightly rancid, it
would not necessarily affect the meat.

In the days when the Irish were still cattle based and allowed to have them,
butter was a common preservative for eggs, fish, pork, elderly sheep and
chicken. The butter may have become rancid but the object of the
preservation would be fine. I understand that a certain amount of rancidity
in butter was a good thing. Adds tang don't you know.

Charlie

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
> >
> >
> > And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
> > from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
> > "sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years.
Here's
> > the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking,
and
> > if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you
keep
> > confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
> > gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.
>
> It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
> to the meat if it were in it long enough.
>
> Kate

It would Kate, if the fat were to become rancid below the top level. That
would be bad confit management! Even if the fat became slightly rancid, it
would not necessarily affect the meat.

In the days when the Irish were still cattle based and allowed to have them,
butter was a common preservative for eggs, fish, pork, elderly sheep and
chicken. The butter may have become rancid but the object of the
preservation would be fine. I understand that a certain amount of rancidity
in butter was a good thing. Adds tang don't you know.

Charlie

richard green wrote:

> Tks for these, they look really good. It would be interesting to try them
> both (on separate occasions) as they are quite different. Interesting that
> the first is cooked for so long, and of course the lamb makes the second a
> different dish altogether.
> Cheers,
> Richard.

Which is the point. There are three distinct styles of cassoulet:
Toulouse, Castlednaudary and Carcassonne. They are referred to as the
holy trinity of cassoulet.

Cassoulet from Castelnaudary

800 g white beans
800 g pork backbone
8 slices of breast of pork
200 g fresh pork rind
1 garlic sausage
2 soupspoons of lard
2 salted pork hocks
250 g tomatoes
3 onions studded with cloves
200 g of carrots
1 bouquet garni
ground pepper
200gr neck of mutton
200gr mutton from the leg

Prepartion of the beans:
Wash the beans carefully and soak them at least overnight in cold water.
Be careful to avoid to avoid using hard water. Rinse the beans, blanch
them and rinse in warm water.
For 8 people - cooking time 4h


*A "cassole" is an earthenware pot in which you can simmer on a low heat
and put it in the oven for browning. It is the origin of the term
cassoulet. It corresponds roughly to the English word "casserole".

In a large casserole, heat the lard with the tomatoes, diced pork breast
and sliced carrots. When this is cooked, put the beans on top and cover
with two litres of water, add the bouquet garni, garlic, pepper, onions,
pork rind, the backbone, les oignons, the pork hock (which you would
have desalted) and the other meat. Cook
over a low heat for at least two hours.

If the casserole is not ovenproof, transfer the whole of this into a
"cassole*", or an deep earthenware pot. Spread the meat over the
surface and add thick slices of garlic sausage. Put the dish into a warm
oven. When it is covered with a brown crust push this into the
beans with a wooden spatula. (Repeat this six times in all during the
cooking). Cook in the oven for at least two hours. This long and
delicate process is the essential part of the preparation
of an excellent cassoulet.
Serves 8

Cassoulet from Toulouse

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Castelnaudary
except that after one hour's cooking add 200 g of neck of mutton, 200 g
of mutton from the gigot. Before putting it in the oven add a pork rind
sausage and four pieces of duck confit (remove the
preserving fat). Cook in the oven as described above.


Cassoulet from Carcassonne

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Toulouse but
add twice as much mutton and replace the duck confit with a plucked
and emptied red-legged partridge. Omit the Toulouse sausage and the
breadcrumbs.


ÓChantal Moret 1999, 2000
Cassoulet is a basic recipe with a large number of local variations. The
best known are the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, of Toulouse and of
Carcassonne which are decribed here - but the basis of all cassoulets
are the beans.

--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

richard green wrote:

> Tks for these, they look really good. It would be interesting to try them
> both (on separate occasions) as they are quite different. Interesting that
> the first is cooked for so long, and of course the lamb makes the second a
> different dish altogether.
> Cheers,
> Richard.

Which is the point. There are three distinct styles of cassoulet:
Toulouse, Castlednaudary and Carcassonne. They are referred to as the
holy trinity of cassoulet.

Cassoulet from Castelnaudary

800 g white beans
800 g pork backbone
8 slices of breast of pork
200 g fresh pork rind
1 garlic sausage
2 soupspoons of lard
2 salted pork hocks
250 g tomatoes
3 onions studded with cloves
200 g of carrots
1 bouquet garni
ground pepper
200gr neck of mutton
200gr mutton from the leg

Prepartion of the beans:
Wash the beans carefully and soak them at least overnight in cold water.
Be careful to avoid to avoid using hard water. Rinse the beans, blanch
them and rinse in warm water.
For 8 people - cooking time 4h


*A "cassole" is an earthenware pot in which you can simmer on a low heat
and put it in the oven for browning. It is the origin of the term
cassoulet. It corresponds roughly to the English word "casserole".

In a large casserole, heat the lard with the tomatoes, diced pork breast
and sliced carrots. When this is cooked, put the beans on top and cover
with two litres of water, add the bouquet garni, garlic, pepper, onions,
pork rind, the backbone, les oignons, the pork hock (which you would
have desalted) and the other meat. Cook
over a low heat for at least two hours.

If the casserole is not ovenproof, transfer the whole of this into a
"cassole*", or an deep earthenware pot. Spread the meat over the
surface and add thick slices of garlic sausage. Put the dish into a warm
oven. When it is covered with a brown crust push this into the
beans with a wooden spatula. (Repeat this six times in all during the
cooking). Cook in the oven for at least two hours. This long and
delicate process is the essential part of the preparation
of an excellent cassoulet.
Serves 8

Cassoulet from Toulouse

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Castelnaudary
except that after one hour's cooking add 200 g of neck of mutton, 200 g
of mutton from the gigot. Before putting it in the oven add a pork rind
sausage and four pieces of duck confit (remove the
preserving fat). Cook in the oven as described above.


Cassoulet from Carcassonne

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Toulouse but
add twice as much mutton and replace the duck confit with a plucked
and emptied red-legged partridge. Omit the Toulouse sausage and the
breadcrumbs.


ÓChantal Moret 1999, 2000
Cassoulet is a basic recipe with a large number of local variations. The
best known are the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, of Toulouse and of
Carcassonne which are decribed here - but the basis of all cassoulets
are the beans.

--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

Charles Gifford wrote:

> "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
>>>from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
>>>"sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years.
>
> Here's
>
>>>the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking,
>
> and
>
>>>if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you
>
> keep
>
>>>confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
>>>gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.
>>
>>It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
>>to the meat if it were in it long enough.
>>
>>Kate
>
>
> It would Kate, if the fat were to become rancid below the top level. That
> would be bad confit management! Even if the fat became slightly rancid, it
> would not necessarily affect the meat.
>
> In the days when the Irish were still cattle based and allowed to have them,
> butter was a common preservative for eggs, fish, pork, elderly sheep and
> chicken. The butter may have become rancid but the object of the
> preservation would be fine. I understand that a certain amount of rancidity
> in butter was a good thing. Adds tang don't you know.
>
> Charlie
>
>
Seems to me, Chas, that many people in States do not understand that
this has been going on, unchanged, for hundreds of years, with no ill
effects. Sort of like making cheese with unpasturized cream. Little or
no bad effects if you do things properly.

I love to use tinned confit I brought home from France. I put two leg
quarters in a skillet and brown them, while sauteing spuds in the fat.
With some salad greens and vinegarette, there is a complete meal. Oh,
yes, and a bottle of Madiran as well.
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

Charles Gifford wrote:

> "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Peter Aitken wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>And she *still* hasn't said anything about sealed in a can. Confit dates
>>>from well before canning was available. It would be put in a crock and
>>>"sealed" by the fat. Kept in a cool place it would last for years.
>
> Here's
>
>>>the difference. If you keep just fat you will be using it for cooking,
>
> and
>
>>>if it goes a bit rancid it is ruined because the taste is off. If you
>
> keep
>
>>>confit you will be using the meat and discarding the fat. If the fat has
>>>gotten a bit rancid it does not matter because the meat is still good.
>>
>>It seems to me that the rancid bitterness would transfer
>>to the meat if it were in it long enough.
>>
>>Kate
>
>
> It would Kate, if the fat were to become rancid below the top level. That
> would be bad confit management! Even if the fat became slightly rancid, it
> would not necessarily affect the meat.
>
> In the days when the Irish were still cattle based and allowed to have them,
> butter was a common preservative for eggs, fish, pork, elderly sheep and
> chicken. The butter may have become rancid but the object of the
> preservation would be fine. I understand that a certain amount of rancidity
> in butter was a good thing. Adds tang don't you know.
>
> Charlie
>
>
Seems to me, Chas, that many people in States do not understand that
this has been going on, unchanged, for hundreds of years, with no ill
effects. Sort of like making cheese with unpasturized cream. Little or
no bad effects if you do things properly.

I love to use tinned confit I brought home from France. I put two leg
quarters in a skillet and brown them, while sauteing spuds in the fat.
With some salad greens and vinegarette, there is a complete meal. Oh,
yes, and a bottle of Madiran as well.
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

"alzelt" > wrote in message
...
> >
> Seems to me, Chas, that many people in States do not understand that
> this has been going on, unchanged, for hundreds of years, with no ill
> effects. Sort of like making cheese with unpasturized cream. Little or
> no bad effects if you do things properly.

Your assessment is on target I think Alan. Most Americans don't have a
reason to know about many of these processes anymore. I don't fault them for
that. I do fault those who fail to realize that not everyone who posts here
has the same culinary reality.

> I love to use tinned confit I brought home from France. I put two leg
> quarters in a skillet and brown them, while sauteing spuds in the fat.
> With some salad greens and vinegarette, there is a complete meal. Oh,
> yes, and a bottle of Madiran as well.
> --
> Alan

I'd love to have some goose fat on hand for potatoes and spreading on
pumpernickel. I ran out a couple of years ago. <sigh>

Charlie

"alzelt" > wrote in message
...
> >
> Seems to me, Chas, that many people in States do not understand that
> this has been going on, unchanged, for hundreds of years, with no ill
> effects. Sort of like making cheese with unpasturized cream. Little or
> no bad effects if you do things properly.

Your assessment is on target I think Alan. Most Americans don't have a
reason to know about many of these processes anymore. I don't fault them for
that. I do fault those who fail to realize that not everyone who posts here
has the same culinary reality.

> I love to use tinned confit I brought home from France. I put two leg
> quarters in a skillet and brown them, while sauteing spuds in the fat.
> With some salad greens and vinegarette, there is a complete meal. Oh,
> yes, and a bottle of Madiran as well.
> --
> Alan

I'd love to have some goose fat on hand for potatoes and spreading on
pumpernickel. I ran out a couple of years ago. <sigh>

Charlie

"Charles Gifford" > wrote

> I'd love to have some goose fat on hand for potatoes and spreading on
> pumpernickel. I ran out a couple of years ago. <sigh>

Erm...why not just roast a goose and collect the fat? Or am I missing
something?

Jo (who has a bowl of duck fat in the fridge at all times, but goose only
after Christmas)


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.722 / Virus Database: 478 - Release Date: 18/07/04

"Darkginger" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Charles Gifford" > wrote
>
> > I'd love to have some goose fat on hand for potatoes and spreading on
> > pumpernickel. I ran out a couple of years ago. <sigh>
>
> Erm...why not just roast a goose and collect the fat? Or am I missing
> something?

Dear Jo, you haven't missed a thing! I, however, miss the funds to purchase
a goose. <sigh> I could save up, but one must prioritize. :-)

Charliam

> Jo (who has a bowl of duck fat in the fridge at all times, but goose only
> after Christmas)
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.722 / Virus Database: 478 - Release Date: 18/07/04
>
>

"Darkginger" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Charles Gifford" > wrote
>
> > I'd love to have some goose fat on hand for potatoes and spreading on
> > pumpernickel. I ran out a couple of years ago. <sigh>
>
> Erm...why not just roast a goose and collect the fat? Or am I missing
> something?

Dear Jo, you haven't missed a thing! I, however, miss the funds to purchase
a goose. <sigh> I could save up, but one must prioritize. :-)

Charliam

> Jo (who has a bowl of duck fat in the fridge at all times, but goose only
> after Christmas)
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.722 / Virus Database: 478 - Release Date: 18/07/04
>
>