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. Then, the caramelized endive are placed in a tart pan in a circular pattern...

Then the endive is 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.

After baking, the tart is inverted onto a platter and Voila ~ You are transported to a cafe 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 !

I hope you 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.