Super Bowl Treats 2 – Corn Crepes with Duck Confit Filling!

Talk about a Super Bowl treat for the ages, take a look at today’s recipe and drool! A bit like a Mexican version of a samosa, these potato-filled crepes have duck confit added for a luxurious touch. Rich and filling, this is comfort food for special occasions. Served with a clean Sauvignon Blanc wine to cut some of the richness, you have an appetizer or main course fit for a king or queen!

Have you had duck confit (cone-fee) before? Confit is a cooking technique and food preservation method where you store foods submerged in a flavorful substance, typically its own fat. When sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last several months. This is one of the oldest ways to preserve foods, and is a specialty of southwestern France.

Confit is typically made with the legs of game birds, which can be tough when oven roasted. The meat is salted and seasoned with herbs, then slowly cooked, fully submerged in its own rendered fat or olive oil. You can use this technique with just about any meat, but it is most commonly used with waterfowl. When you combine this technique with the richness of duck, you have something to dream about!

While you can most certainly make your own duck confit, it is easiest if you buy it already prepared. Many butchers offer it and most are happy to order it for you if you ask ahead. When you buy duck confit, make sure you save the fat the legs come packed in. Use it for frying eggs, or roasting or frying potatoes – duck fat fries are all the rage right now, and with good reason … they are to die for!! If there isn’t enough fat on the confit, you can take the fat layer off duck breasts and render that as well.

Duck confit being shredded with two forks

We are incredibly fortunate to have The Fatted Calf Charcuterie in our area, an artisanal charcuterie dedicated to providing a wide range of hand-crafted products made from high quality, natural, organic, and hormone-free ingredients. They offer pates, salami, prosciutti, confits, and a large selection of freshly-made sausages. They have two storefronts, one in Napa Valley and one in San Francisco. We stop there on nearly every visit to Napa to restock our freezer with their amazing meats and other products.

The founder, Taylor Boetticher, never set out to make a career in charcuterie, but the CIA graduate spent 3 years working behind the meat counter at Berkeley’s Cafe Rouge learning the trade. Then a trip to Tuscany where he worked with a local butcher sealed the deal and The Fatted Calf was born. He and his team make more than 30 different kinds of charcuterie. They are also one of the only places where I can regularly find leaf lard, so perfect for baking! They also offer classes, teaching the time-honored skills of butchery, salumi making, and old-fashioned food preservation techniques. If you are ever visiting the San Francisco area, you should make The Fatted Calf one of your must-see agenda items!

Meat Case and Chalk Board at Fatted Calf

If crepes are too intimidating for you, you can also make these with corn tortillas that have been softened for about 30 seconds in the microwave. When you buy tortillas, always test the packages for freshness. The more flexible the tortillas are, the fresher they are. People laugh at me when I am shaking bag after bag of tortillas until I find the ones that are the softest – but it pays off – they are always delicious!!

Enjoy these special treats this weekend or any time of the year!!!

Duck confit filling ingredients

Corn Crepes with Corn, Mashed Potato and Duck Confit Filling

2015-07-21 15:58:08

Yields 4

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Ingredients

1. Crepes
2. 2 large eggs
3. 1-1/4 cups milk
4. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5. 1/3 cup instant masa harina (see Note)
6. 1/2 tsp sugar
7. 1/2 tsp salt
8. Vegetable oil
9. Filling
10. 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced (8 oz)
11. Salt
12. 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
13. 1 tbsp unsalted butter
14. 2 tbsp minced onion
15. 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely minced
16. 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
17. 4 to 6 confit duck legs, meat removed and shredded
18. 2 tbsp minced scallions
19. Freshly ground pepper
20. Shredded lettuce, optional
21. Oven roasted tomatoes, chopped, optional
22. Toppings
23. Sour Cream
24. Melted duck fat from the confit duck legs, optional
25. Fresh cilantro sprigs

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the milk, flour, masa harina, sugar and salt until blended. Let the batter stand for 30 minutes.
2. Note: Instant masa harina, like regular masa harina, is made from corn treated with limewater. It can be found in the Latin section of most supermarkets. Do not substitute other types of cornmeal.
3. In a saucepan, cover the diced potatoes with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately high heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan. Shake the pan over high heat to dry the potato, about 20 seconds; transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and mash until it's slightly chunky. Stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
4. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the corn, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Add the duck confit meat and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions. Stir the corn/duck mixture into the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet and rub it with vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, add 2 tbsp of the crêpe batter, swirl to coat the bottom and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned on the bottom, about 1-1/2 minutes. Carefully turn the crêpe over and continue cooking until brown in spots, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat to make 7 more crêpes.
6. If desired, stir a couple of tbsp of the melted duck fat from the confit into the sour cream and stir until smooth. Add water, a few drops at a time, until thinned to the consistency of a creamy sauce. Set aside.
7. Preheat the broiler. Reheat the potato-corn filling in a microwave oven for 45 seconds. Spoon 2 tbsp of the filling onto one side of each crêpe. Top with some shredded lettuce and roasted tomato if desired, and roll the crêpes around filling. Transfer the crêpes to a baking sheet and brush the tops with a little of the sour cream. Broil until browned on top, about 10 seconds. Place the crêpes on plates, drizzle with some of the duck confit sour cream, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Adapted from Food and Wine magazine

Adapted from Food and Wine magazine

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