Ingredients

4 legs Duck Confit, cooled, recipe follows
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups superfine bread crumbs*
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup port wine
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup Rich Duck Reduction, recipe follows

2 cups blueberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

Place duck confit legs on a baking sheet and
refrigerate for 30 minutes. Wipe off any excess duck fat from the chilled duck confit.

In a medium shallow bowl, combine the flour and Essence. Whisk together eggs and milk in a separate shallow
bowl. Place the superfine bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.

One at a time, dredge the chilled duck legs in the seasoned flour, shaking to remove any excess flour. Dip
into the egg wash and then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to coat evenly.

In a medium saucepan combine the vinegar, port, sugar, shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf over high heat.
Bring to a boil and reduce mixture by about 2/3, or until thick and syrupy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add Rich
Duck Reduction, and blueberries. Bring mixture to a low boil and cook until blueberries are softened and sauce
is a thickened, syrupy consistency, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and swirl
in cold butter pieces. Cover and keep warm. (Do not allow sauce to boil.)

Pour the vegetable oil into a large skillet with 2 to 3 inch straight sides, about 1-inch deep or 1/3 of the
way up the sides of the skillet. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F. In batches, carefully place the breaded duck
confit legs into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove
form the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

To serve, spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the blueberry sauce on and around each fried duck confit leg.
Duck Confit:
6 whole duck legs (legs and thighs attached)
3/4 cup kosher salt
8 black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves, crushed
8 thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 quart rendered duck fat, melted (or mild olive oil)

Press duck legs, flesh-side down, into salt. Lightly sprinkle additional salt on fat side. In a nonreactive
container layer duck legs with herbs and spices: Place 3 legs in container, fat-side down, cover with
peppercorns, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and press on remaining 3 legs, flesh-side down. Store overnight,
covered and refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

Remove legs from container, rinse off salt and seasonings under cold water and pat dry. Place in a medium
roasting pan or other pan large enough to hold the legs in 1 layer. Pour the melted duck fat over the legs;
they should be completely covered with fat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the meat actually
pulls away from the bone, 6 to 7 hours. Allow confit to cool in its fat. Store refrigerated, completely
covered in fat, for up to 1 month before using. Rich Duck Reduction:
6 cups Duck Stock, recipe follows
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 bouquet garni

In a large saucepan, add the stock, onions, carrots, celery, and bouquet garni. Bring the liquid up to a boil
and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 1 1/2 hours.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and cool. Refrigerate overnight and remove any congealed fat from the
surface. The reduction can be stored in the freezer in ice cube trays for 1 month.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups Duck Stock:
2 duck carcasses (about 4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 head garlic, split in half
6 bay leaves
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
About 3 quarts water
10 sprigs fresh thyme
8 sprigs fresh parsley
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Break and crack the carcasses. In a large stockpot, heat the vegetable oil. Season the bones with salt and

pepper. Add the bones to the pot and brown for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the onions, carrots,
celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Season the mixture with salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5
minutes, stirring often. Add the wine and tomato paste and stir to mix. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the water. Put the thyme, parsley sprigs, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth, tie it
together with kitchen twine, and add it to the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Skim off any cloudy scum
that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours. Strain through a
fine-mesh strainer and cool. Refrigerate overnight and remove any congealed fat from the surface. The stock
can be stored in the freezer for 1 month.

Yield: about 6 cups Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow,
1993.