Who makes the city's best confit de canard?

[carswell]

Located in a semibasement on Monkland near Harvard, Le Maître Boucher is a classy French butcher and gourmet shop. They sell two types of duck confit: one from Les élèvages Périgord (see above), the other made on the spot (see below).

The legs I took home were individually cryovaced. The weight was given as 200 g, though I’m sure they weighed at least half again as much. They cost a hefty $9.39 apiece. Twenty minutes in a hot oven rendered little fat but turned the skin a crispy red-brown. Unfortunately, the skin was permanently welded to a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. The meat was dark and somewhat stringy but had a chewy texture, ducky underlay and savoury aftertaste. Alas, the predominant flavour was salt lick — to the point that you have to serve water with the meal, otherwise you’ll drink too much wine. Even so, expect to wake up in the middle of the night with a Saharan thirst. Too bad, really.

Curious to see if a New World wine could sing sweet harmony with confit, I opened a 2000 Concannon Petite Sirah from California (wrongly entered as syrah tout court in the SAQ database). Nose of raspberry jam with sweet spices thrown in, slightly overcooked and some of it dribbled over the edge of the pot and burned. A jammy attack fades to a tannic, bitter-edged finish. A bit simple. Worked surprisingly well with the confit, though the wine's sweetness and bluntness make the match less interesting than that obtained with many southwest French reds in the same price range ($20).

Le Maître Boucher, 5686 Monkland, 514 487-1437

[carswell]

It was a nice confit classic show last night at Distasio. The last salad really had me salivating.

http://www.telequebec.qc.ca/aladistasio/

Thanks for this, ID. Am not normally a fan of meat and fruit combos but that salad sounds like it could be an exception, maybe as a first course?

[carswell]

I did not have time to run to Petit Plateau but after dinner at PdC, I decided to have 12 "pilon" of confit wrapped up. He also dumped a bucket of veggies, one of fat and one of potatoe puree... His confit is quite sweet, in fact I think there is either honey or maple sugar in it. Oddly enough, Picard suggested simply warm them up by dropping them in a tub of hot water, kosher style ! (but I won't do it)...

I noticed the APDC menu refers to the duck confit as aux deux pommes. Do you think the sweetness might come from apple juice or some such? Or is the descriptor merely a reference to how the confit is served (with sautéed apple slices and mashed potatoes, say)?

[identifiler]

Must be something new because the plate itslef did not have apples, it was the notable mash potatoes and selected veggies.

I had one last package of confit to go last night and there is no presence of apple in there at all. I think it may be something new offered by PdC.

[carswell]

Located a couple of doors east of Chez Louis in the row of shops along the south side of Jean Talon Market, Boucherie du Marché is a deep and narrow split-level store packed to the gills with meats, cheeses and gourmet packaged goods. If the aisles are tricky to manoeuvre on weekdays, weekends bring total gridlock. The jumble of products, ample lighting and sunny paint scheme give the store a bright feel despite the lack of natural light. Running the entire length of the east side of the store, refrigerator cases contain a large selection of meat and poultry including sausages, venison, caribou and goose leg confit. Quality is generally high.

The duck confit, made on site and not cryovaced, runs $4.69 a leg or thereabouts. I bought two; one I’d guesstimate at 330 g, the other 280 g. The skin was browner than most.

Twenty minutes in a 370ºF oven rendered little fat and even less of that mouth-watering confit smell. In fact, you wouldn’t have guessed we were having duck for dinner until I melted some duck fat (still raiding the Anjou-Québec jar) to sauté potatoes in. Pulled from the oven, the legs were picture-perfect: the skin brown and crisp, the meat dark and moist. Unfortunately, we were in for a gustatory disapointment in both departments. Despite the fatty underlay, the skin was nearly flavourless. While tender and succulent, the meat tasted more like duck than confit. It was also undersalted. In short, the legs lacked savour. And since savour is the main point of confit…

We washed the meal down with the tail ends of two bottles opened earlier in the week, both Southwest French reds from the 1995 vintage: Château Lillian-Ladouys (St-Estèphe) and Château Aydie (Madiran). Both were in a good place. The St-Estèphe was clearly the finer wine but, once again, with its rustic tannins and blunter fruit, the Madiran proved the better match with confit.

Boucherie du Marché

South side of Marché Jean-Talon, 514 270-7732

[sf&m]

Carswell,

I've been following your excellent Confit trail with a lot of interest and I intend try out your best recommendations in ernest.

Maybe it's my attachment to Jean Talon Market or culinary adventurism but I am as of today the proud owner of two confit legs which I got at a stall at Jean Talon M. "Les Volailles du Marché - owned by Mr Michel Morin. He features "Canard de Barbaries" from a Quebec city area farm "Le Canard Goulu"... The confit legs (2) come in a 6 in canning jar with about 4 inches af duck fat on top. The hefty legs are about 6 inches tall. $24 per 800 gram jar! But I estimate there is at least $5.00 worth of duck fat in there. (They sell duck fat also at about $8.50 per 500 gram).

OK- so what to do???

Can these be roasted like you tells us? What about these being Barbary Duck legs? Are they going to be too tough roasted?

The farmers recommendation from the back of the jar - heat'em and eat'em...

"Verser le contenue de pot dans un chaudron. Laisser mijoter à feu doux 15 minutes. Servir avec des légumes de saison."

And for the potatoes:

"Vous pouvez aussi retire une partier de la grasse fine et y faire rissoler des pommes de terre."

Which sounds pretty good to me! And I like the non-cryovac packaging.

Your recommendations would be highly appreciated.

/gth

[carswell]

Good investigative work, sf&m. I think I know the Volailles du Marché stand but didn't realize the did confit. Am pretty sure that Le canard goulu is where the Atwater Market's A. Bélanger et fils source the duck for their confit, too. Did you ask whether VdM's confit is homemade? Or maybe they sell Canard goulu's, which comes packed two legs to a jar. I look forward to your report on it and any other confit you try.

There's no single right way to reheat confit. (And bear in mind that that's what you'll be doing. If the confit is made traditionally, the duck is thoroughly cooked, having already simmered for an hour or two or five in fat.) So, your label's instructions will work fine. Lately I've stuck with the hot oven method for several reasons. For the purposes of this survey, it seemed wise to eliminate a variable by preparing the competing products in the same way. Also, the crisp skin is one of the delights of a well-made confit, and roasting is the surest-fire method for getting it. Lastly, it's the least fussy and messy preparation. For a description of the technique I use, see my February 24 reply to Identifiler above.

A few other ways I've prepared confit:

∙ Sauté some sliced onion (garlic optional). Add a large amount of shredded cabbabge, stir to coat with the fat. Add a small amount of liquid (duck or chicken stock; water; vinegar). Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Add quartered potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Place the confit in the cabbage and simmer for 15-20 minutes more.

∙ Sauté some peeled pearl onions and, optionally, diced ham in butter. Add fresh green peas, stirring to coat them with the fat. Dust with flour, stir again, add the confit, a bouquet garni and a small volume of water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

∙ Remove the skin and shred the meat. Excellent cold with a glass of rosé or incorporated into salads. Or reheat in a bit of duck fat, stock or demi-glace for inclusion in other dishes (omelets; pasta dishes, especially ones that feature mushrooms, including ravioli; a bed for a slice of seared fois gras; root veggie purées; sandwiches).

Speaking of salads, the recipe Identifiler referred to above looks interesting: musclun salad with an cider vinegar dressing, caramelized apple slices and confit (the recipe says to used the salad as a bed for the whole leg; I think I'd use the shredded meat). You could also do something similar with oranges.

Duck fat is one of the best fats for sautéing potatoes. Other veggies work well, too. And I love the savour it imparts to shrimp and scallops. As an accompaniment to simply prepared confit, sarladaise potatoes are great; for the general procedure, see the Maître Gourmet/La Queue de Cochon entry above. But my favourite side is warm lentil salad (adapted from a Patricia Wells recipe): rinse and pick over 500 g of Puy lentils; put in a saucepan with an onion cut in half stuck with 2 cloves, a peeled garlic clove or 2, 1 or 2 bay leaves, a branch of thyme or winter savoury and, optionally, a sugar cube; cover with water by 1 inch; bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the lentils tender (20-40 minutes); remove the veggies and herbs; dress warm with a mixture of 1/3 cup top-quality red wine vinegar, three tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

[identifiler]

here's an interesting one for fall.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/dossiers_a/05200...04,679704.shtml

Did you read the duck confit reference article in la presse last week ? You should...

[carswell]

here's an interesting one for fall.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/dossiers_a/05200...04,679704.shtml

Did you read the duck confit reference article in la presse last week ? You should...

Thanks for the recipe. Can't find the confit article on the La Presse website. Do you have a link?

[identifiler]

try this, the links do not alst long but I think this is it:

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actuel/article/1...04,678853.shtml

[carswell]

TYVM. Too bad the list of confit sources doesn't include several of my winners (e.g. Anjou-Québec, A. Bélanger et fils, P'tit Plateau) yet reccos several products that left me unmoved (Maître Gourmet, Champfleuri, Maître Boucher). Chacun à son confit, I guess...

[carswell]

On a recent visit to Anjou-Québec, I was surprised to see a pile of cryovaced confit duck legs in the refrigerator case. (These are different from the above-reviewed jars with two legs packed in duck fat, which are still available.) The legs are average size (about 300 grams, I'd guess), individually packed, covered on the skin side with a thick layer of fat and garnished with a bay leaf. The price won't surprise anyone: $9.95 a shot.

The legs smelled delicious as they warmed and, with their nut brown skin, they looked great on the plate. Ah, that skin! Crackling, tasty, irresistable, maybe the best to date. And the meat! Tender, dark, rich, savoury, deeply flavoured, salty but not too. Flavourwise, probably the closest so far to André Philippot's legendary confit. While lacking some of the unctuousness of Le P'tit Plateau's offering (due to different breeds of bird I'd bet), it is otherwise its equal. Another eureka moment.

Our side was the potatoes sautéed in walnut oil and showered with minced garlic, parsley and chives, a fabulous dish and a fine match with the duck. Despite its provençal accent, the 1996 Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel went better with confit than any other extraregional wine uncorked to date in this survey.

Anjou-Québec, 1025 Laurier West, 514 272-4065

[sf&m]

Carswell, there is an interesting article in La Presse today - Monday June 7th - about a small duck producer - La Girondine in Frelightsburg. Could not see anything about duck confit...but....

It's on pp3 in "La Presse Affaires"

They also have a website:

La Girondine

[VivreManger]

BTW, a few months ago I tried the duck confit at La Maison du Rôti. I had not great expectations given Carswell's review and I was not disappointed. It is undistinguished, but it happened to be close to where I was staying so it was worth the little effort made.

I also tried their confit of turkey, which was as tasteless as the duck. I had hoped to spot some confit of sweetbreads, but no such luck.

Slightly off the topic, in general La Maison du Rôti looks better than it tastes. I tried several of their quiches and meat pies. They have an admirable selection, while adequate none were outstanding. I wonder if anyone has formed a contrary judgment.

I plan to be in Montreal next month and hope to try the cryovaced confit at Anjou-Québec.

By the way La Girondine is located very close to the Pinnacle Ciderie. In the spirit of terroire, they recomend that local foie gras to go with their ice cider.

[carswell]

Carswell, there is an interesting article in La Presse today - Monday June 7th - about a small duck producer - La Girondine in Frelightsburg. Could not see anything about duck  confit...but....

It's on pp3 in "La Presse Affaires"

They also have a website:

La Girondine

Thanks for the heads-ups, sf&m. Unfortunately, my dep had sold all their copies of La Presse by late afternoon and you can't read the article online unless you're a subscriber. La Girondine is new to me and their website lists confit among the products on offer. Will find out if it's sold in la métropole. If it isn't, I'll try to stop by the next time I'm in picturesque Freilighsburg, one of my favourite spots in the province.

[sf&m]

Accordng to the La Presse article La Girondine's products are sold at Marché Atwater.

Did not mention what merchant though...

65% of their production sold directly at the farm so a visit is probaly in order.

/gth

[carswell]

Just spoke with Mme Bardo of La Girondine (a computer virus has knocked their e-mail out of commission for a day or two; bad timing, she says, as she's received a flurry of calls since the La Presse Affaires article was published). Turns out that La Fromagerie du Marché Atwater (514 932-4653) carries several of their products:

- duck rillettes, rabbit rillettes

- smoked duck breast (which the Fromagerie calls jambon de canard)

- a foie gras-based boudin blanc, available in two sizes

- pâté de campagne, and

- foie gras au torchon (on occasion).

The other products listed on their website, including the confit de canard, can be special ordered through the Fromagerie. Mme Bové said she would be interested in hearing how her confit fares in the survey, as she's always claimed it's the best in Québec. She also stated that it was impossible to make a decent confit with peking duck; that certainly jibes with my findings to date.

[skunkbunny]

Went to La Girondine yesterday as end of term trip.

The setting is absolutely beautiful, especially if you climb the hill behind the farm and look out into the valley.

We had a little degustation of Mme's foie gras au torchon as well as smoked magret and foie gras au sel, the last of which was really nice as it's very well seasoned and has a nice firm texture, although the others were very good as well.

They are now raising pigs and making confit de porc, as well as growing organic veg which is for sale at the counter along with the foie gras and the confit. There is also a table champetre.

If you want a mild tirade ask about new health regulations and the MAPAQ (sp?). The owners were extremely friendly and welcoming and let us watch the gavage (albeit through a window) as well as explaining the process.

Also: Cidrerie Fleurs de Pommier 1047 Route 202, Dunham (450) 295 2223

Nice selection and tasing as well as a whole gamme de produits derived from apples. Gave us a nice tour as well and everyone bought something. Products available at Les Saveurs Du Marche, Jean Talon (Pommeau D'Or and Cle des Champs were two very nice, and popular, products)

There's so much more in this area.

[carswell]

After braving the elements for several seasons, Les volailles et gibiers du marché has set up shop in the southwest corner of Jean Talon Market's new extension. Besides big jars of duck conft packed in fat and, oddly, duck stock (expensive at $25, but a good buy compared with Fromagerie du marché Atwater, where the same jars retail for $29 and change), they often have cryovaced confit duck legs (goose legs, too!). I picked the largest pack on offer: two barbary duck legs with a total weight of 280 g and selling for $11.17, which if my math is correct works out to $39.90/kg. Contrast that with Le P'tit Plateau's moulard legs which average 330 g apiece and retail for $25/kg and you'll see that VGM's legs are both small and pricey. The ingredients are listed as duck legs, duck fat and salt. And although the clerks at VGM refer to it as notre confit de canard, the packages bear the Le canard goulu label.

We emptied the two legs and accompanying fat onto a baking dish, which we stuck in a 400ºF oven for just under 20 minutes. To our disappointment, the kitchen was not filled with that mouthwatering confit aroma. Still, the skin crisped to an attractive golden brown and we recovered a goodly amount of fat, about a half cup's worth all told. Deeply coloured, the meat had a good overall texture, though it lost points for being stringy in places and pasty in others. The taste was savoury if quite salty and not particulary ducky. Scraped free of its underlying fat, the skin was a crackling if salty delight. The portions were extremely small; I could easily have eaten two legs. Luckily we had plenty of lentils and a chesse plate to assuage our hunger. As you might expect, our wine, a Gaillac from Château Labastidié, went well with the duck.

The bottom line: passable but way overpriced.

Les volailles et gibiers du marché

Marché Jean-Talon

7070, Henri-Julien

(514) 271-4141

Edited February 20, 2005 by carswell (log)

[jpbach]

Hi ...

IMHO the best possible duck confit is one made at home and stored deep in a vat of fat in the fridge for at least a month so the flavours can mingle. Its dead easy to prepare ... and as a side benefit you get pure white duck fat with which you can pan fry potatoes etc.

The best recipe (classic) I have tried is from Saveur magazine. Link is below.

http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=15414&typeID=120

since you enjoy lentils with your duck, Saveur has a fantastic recipe for puy lentils with roasted carrots and beets ... link below

http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=4400&typeID=120

regards,

j-p

[carswell]

Hi ...

←

Hi, j-p, and welcome to eGullet.

IMHO the best possible duck confit is one made at home and stored deep in a vat of fat in the fridge for at least a month so the flavours can mingle.  Its dead easy to prepare ... and as a side benefit you get pure white duck fat with which you can pan fry potatoes etc.

Point taken. I addressed this issue toward the top of the thread. See here (and please excuse the snarky tone of the reply; it was in response to a suspected troll and my patience with him was beginning to wear thin). I think the salient point is convenience, especially for someone like me who lives in an apartment (no cool storage space) and has a small fridge. Also, while confit is simple to make, it requires some running around to get the ingredients (especially if you insist on moulard duck); the dirtying of several pans, bowls and utensils; and a chunk of time.

Another thing. Though I haven't done a detailed cost breakdown, my impression is that homemade isn't that much less expensive than the product sold by several of the better local producers, especially when you factor in time.

And clearly a lot of people aren't willing to make the effort. So far, this survey has tested the products of nearly 20 local producers and a few more are in the queue. Several of the vendors sell tens and even hundreds of legs a week. Obviously there's a demand, an impression reinforced by the positive reaction to this thread both on and off line.

But, as I said, point taken. Prompted by this thread and Paula Wolfert's request for recipe testers for the forthcoming revised edition of her The Cooking of Southwest France, I've made two batches of duck confit since last June. And, yes, the results were excellent, especially of the batch I matured for four months. Where I might part company with you is in applying the "best possible" moniker to the fruit of my labour. It was certainly the equal of the better local products but I'd hesitate to call it the best, as it didn't quite achieve the scrumptuousness of André Philippot's legendary duck, the confit that launched my quest.

Maybe it would have been the best possible confit if I had to live in Vancouver, though...

The best recipe (classic) I have tried is from Saveur magazine.  Link is below. 

http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=15414&typeID=120

Looks good. Not terribly dissimilar from Paula's recipe, though following her main procedure, I prepared both batches on the stovetop, not in the oven.

since you enjoy lentils with your duck, Saveur has a fantastic recipe for puy lentils with roasted carrots and beets ... link below

http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=4400&typeID=120

Thanks for the new twist on an old theme. Will give this a shot soon, though the side for my next confit will be the Quercy-style potatoes, also from Paula's book.

[carswell]

Billing itself as an artisanal farm, a bed and breakfast and a table champêtre, La Girondine is the project of the Bardos, a husband and wife team originally from Southwest France. In our phone conversation last year, Françoise Bardo insisted that moulards were the best duck for confit (I agree) and said her confit was the best she had tasted in Quebec.

La Girondine's products are sold on site and through a few retailers around the province. In Montreal, they are found at Fromagerie du Marché Atwater (514 932-4653). Although the Fromagerie doesn't stock the confit as a matter of course, they are more than happy to special order it for you. The order normally goes out on Monday and they receive the products on Thursday.

The confit duck legs come individually cryovaced in packages with a moulard duck on the label. Being moulards, they are largish, around 325 g apiece. Nearly hidden by a thick coat of rendered duck fat, they run $7.99 a leg ($7 at the farm).

We prepared them following our standard procedure: dumping the contents of the package onto a baking dish and heating it all in a 375ºF oven for 20 minutes. The fragrance while cooking was classic and the approximately 1/4 cup of fat per leg produced lots of sizzle and pop. Out of the oven, they looked the genuine article. Brown and crisp at the edges, the skin was paler and softer above joint; at table, it was certifiably delicious, provided you scraped away the thick undercoat of fat. Coloured a rich brown, the meat had a fine, silky texture, softer on the drumstick, chewier on the thigh. It tasted meaty, savoury, rich and quite, but not overpoweringly, salty. At the end of the meal, not a shred of meat was to be found on either plate; in other words, it passed the gnawed bone test with flying colours. Overall, one of the top products tasted to date, ranking alongside the confit from Le P'tit Plateau and Anjou-Québec, and besting any other available at the Atwater Market.

Our side was the Quercy-style potatoes from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France. Cubes of Idaho russets parboiled in salted water, then slow-roasted in duck fat for two hours, the temperature raised during the last 15 minutes to produce a perfect golden brown. Showered just before serving with a persillade (minced garlic and parsley) and coarse sea salt, they proved a crunchy delight and, if anything, even better than the conft as a match for the 2001 Gaillac from Domaine Rotier, another fine example of this overlooked appellation, though at $21.85 not as good a value as the similar Château Labastidié ($15.80) and the delightful Peyrouzelles ($17.65) from Domaine de Causse Marines.

La Girondine

Ferme artisanale

104A, Route 237 Sud

Frelighsburg, Quebec

450 298-5206

Edited March 4, 2005 by carswell (log)

[sf&m]

Thanks for restarting the quest!

I tried the Ferme Goulu Confit that comes in a jar last spring. Since this was my first try of duck confit I felt it would be presumptious to post a "review". I liked them a lot but of course I am a duck confit virgin. It was about that time the fiddle heads come in so I tried for a QC only experience with the Duck confit, Hasselback potatoes (roasted with duck fat) fiddle heads, Morels, wild garlic and an ice cider reduction. Although the fiddle heads are still a taste to be aquired by me, it worked out quite well.

I'd be interested in your impression of the Ferme Goulu legs - I think you reviewed the cryovaced version from Goulu/Les volailles et gibiers du marché and wern't too happy. Did you ever try the ones that come in a jar? I got mine at Les volailles et gibiers du marché.

I guess it's time to go down to Frelightsburg, need to go visit Pinnacle anyway.

Edited March 4, 2005 by sf&m (log)

[carswell]

I'd be interested in your impression of the Ferme Goulu legs - I think you reviewed the cryovaced version from Goulu/Les volailles et gibiers du marché and wern't too happy. Did you ever try the ones that come in a jar? I got mine at Les volailles et gibiers du marché.

←

I'll probably get around to trying them soon, sf&m, for the sake of completeness if nothing else. To be frank, I'm a bit put off by three things: the high price; that they use Muscovy duck legs, not moulards; and that the bottom quarter or so of the jar appears to be not duck fat but stock (duck stock is listed as one of the ingredients). In a classic confit, the legs are surrounded by fat and the only liquid at the bottom of the storage container are juices (salarque) that seep from the duck during the ripening process. So, the stock is a definite break with tradition, but then again so is the sous-vide technique used by many purveyors...

Fiddleheads are an acquired taste. That said, I find the preparation method can make a big difference. Sounds like an interesting topic for the Cooking forum in a couple of months, when the fonds start showing up in the markets.

[carswell]

It turns out that Latina, the upscale grocer on St-Viateur, makes their own confit. The ingredients are traditional — duck leg, duck fat, sea salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and bay leaf — though, at 160 g, my leg obviously didn't come from a moulard. Individually cryovaced, the legs go for $5.99.

The cooking instructions are odd: "5 minutes in a preheated 375ºF oven, skin side up." You have to wonder whether the time isn't missing a digit. I opted for 20 minutes at 375ºF. There was little fat in the package or, after heating, in the baking dish. The skin didn't crisp. The meat was red brownish, dense and a bit stringy. Though there was little in the way of succulence and not a hint of that prized satiny texture, the taste was savoury, ducky and just salty enough. Pretty good QPR overall, especially those days when you don't feel like hiking down to Anjou-Québec.

My side was a quick take on the Quercy-style potatoes mentioned above. I peeled and cubed a couple of russets but didn't parboil or rinse them. They were coated with duck fat and roasted about 35 minutes, then transferred to a bowl and tossed with coarse sea salt and minced parsley and garlic. Not bad but not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the genuine article.

I slaked my thirst with a couple of glasses of Clos de la Briderie 2003 ($17.50), a blend of cabernet franc, malbec (aka côt) and gamay, from the Loire appellation Touraine-Mesland. Always a good buy, the wine was exceptionally dense and fruity in 2003, an extremely hot year that from all reports produced atypically flabby whites (chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc) in the region. Based on this sample (my first 2003), I'm really looking forward to trying other reds, especially Chinons. In any case, the Briderie made a better-than-OK pairing with the duck, something you probably wouldn't say in most years.

Latina

www.chezlatina.com

185 St-Viateur West

514 273-6561

Edited March 14, 2005 by carswell (log)