Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Duck Confit and Caramelized Endive Tarte



I dined in France tonight!


When I saw the recipe for caramelized endive tarte with duck confit at Karyne's blog Food Addict this week, I knew I had to try it. I made a few calls, and found duck confit at a very nice grocery store about 15 minutes from my home. It was sold in the frozen meat section of the store and there were two confit legs of duck in each package. If you don't know about confit of duck here is a good explanation.

First, halved and cored endive are caramelized in butter and brown sugar water.


The caramelized endive are placed in a tart pan in a circular pattern...


and topped with the duck confit which has been removed of skin and fat and shredded.

A sheet of puff pastry is rolled to fit the tart pan and brushed with warmed duck fat reserved from the confit which is then baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.



The tart is inverted onto a platter and Voila ~You are in France!


My husband and I both love duck and we loved this recipe! The caramelized brown sugar-endive adds just the right sweetness and the duck was very tender and delicious.The puff pastry adds just the right amount of crispy texture. I couldn't resist sauteing a few potatoes in the remaining duck fat from the confit. This tart and a little salad made for un dîner très bon !



Would you like to fell like you're in France? Try this recipe! Thank you, Karyne!

Duck Confit and Carmelized Endive Tarte

Recipe adapted from Food Addict
Printable Recipe

This was just enough for myself and my husband to share as an entree.

6 heads of endive, washed, cored and sliced in half, lengthwise
2 legs of duck confit, shredded, skin and fat removed
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar
1 cup of water
1 sheet of puff pastry, rolled to fit tart pan
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter until bubbling and starting to turn brown. Add the halved and cored endive and evenly brown on both sides, adding salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, place the heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. Add one cup of water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add this to the already-browned endive and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced (I placed a cover on the pan, leaving an opening on one side for this part). The caramelizing process takes about 30-40 minutes.

Place the caramelized endive halves in a circular pattern in a 9 inch tart pan. Top with the shredded confit of duck legs, add some salt and pepper and then top with the rolled out puff pastry, pushing the edges of the puff pastry down the sides of the pan.

Brush the top of the puff pastry with some of the fat reserved from the duck confit.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.

14 comments:

  1. You just saved yourself alot of airfare!!
    Looks and sounds delicious! I'm amazed at the recipes you try..much more adventurous and 'gutsy' that I am!!!
    But then, nothing surprises me anymore about you...you are so very talented.
    Which reminds me - love the new watercolor in your header!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Duck confit has always been a staple of my French roots! I love the idea of using it in a tart, genius!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A savory tarte tatin??? I like that....anbd so the search for duck confit begins!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy that you enjoyed it!!!

    I think I'm going to serve it as hot starter on Christmas day...20 people to please...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan, what a delicious sounding tart! I'm saving this recipe for a dinner party, it would make a great starter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oui ceçi me semble tout à fait délicieux..J'ai aimé le partage de ton dîner en France:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. J'adore ce plat, les endives caramélisées sont un de mes plats de légumes préférés
    Bravo

    ReplyDelete
  8. We love duck and always have it for New Year's Eve dinner and my husband cooks! It's delicious too!

    Nice to know that the Duck Confit is frozen to available and my market probably carries it too.

    Just might make this for Christmas Dinner appetizers!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a unique dish! This sounds incredible. You're a talented cook.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Susan, I love your new winter decor including the snowflakes (as long as there not at my home).

    You ARE an adventurous home cook ... duck confit. One of the chefs on the show "Top Chef" prepared it last night, quite the gourmet dish.

    I've never been able (or willing) to eat duck or even foie gras. ... But your tarte is beautiful, and I'm sure it was délicieux.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's a beautiful presentation, I am sure Mike would love it.
    He made a special rack for when he did his duck...I had chicken! :)

    No desire to go to France..I would love to go to Ireland though!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Me Me I want to go to France!! This looks and sounds so incredibly gourmet. And tasty of course!

    I have been thinking a lot about duck lately for some reason, and the caramelized endive sounds ideal!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This looks so elegant and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I too love the new winter look and gently falling snow on the blog! I am such a country bumpkin I had to look up what duck confit was :) It does look and sound good though - very rich so a small serving right?

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comment!