Duck Confit On Country Toast With Fig Chutney Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or its highest possible setting. Toast the bread: lay the bread slices directly on the oven rack and toast in the heated oven until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Place the toast on 4 warmed plates.
• Meanwhile, trim stems off the figs. Slice the figs in half and dip them in sugar, turning so they are well coated. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter, add the almonds, and saute until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Set them aside. Heat the remaining butter in a skillet until foaming. Add the figs, cut side down, and saute until done, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Set the figs on the toast and spoon over the pan juices. Top each toast with yogurt and a sprinkling of toasted almonds. Serve at once so the toast stays crisp.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the red wine to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the figs, orange juice, honey, cayenne, rosemary and star anise and bring back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the figs soften and the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom. Cool to room temperature before removing the anise and rosemary.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf pieces. Sprinkle duck generously with mixture. Place duck legs in a pan in one layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• The next day, heat oven to 325 degrees.Place duck legs, fat side down, in a large ovenproof skillet, with legs fitting snugly in a single layer (you may have to use two skillets or cook them in batches). Heat duck legs over medium-high heat until fat starts to render. When there is about 1/4 inch of rendered fat in pan, about 20 minutes, flip duck legs, cover pan with foil, and place it in oven. If you have used two pans, transfer duck and fat to a roasting pan, cover with foil and place in oven.
• Roast legs for 2 hours, then remove foil and continue roasting until duck is golden brown, about 1 hour more. Remove duck from fat; reserve fat for other uses.
• Serve duck hot or warm, over roasted potatoes or noodles or sturdy salad greens.