Duck confit cassolettes with caramelized pears from Christian Bégin
Duck confit cassolettes with caramelized pears from Christian Bégin

Preparation time 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  1. 2 pears, peeled and cut into ½-cm (¼-in.) slices
  2. 60 mL (¼ cup) lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  3. 125 mL (½ cup) lardoons, cut into 1-cm (½-in.) cubes
  4. 30 mL (2 tbsp.) olive oil
  5. 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  6. To taste, salt and pepper
  7. 20 button mushrooms, washed and halved
  8. 12 small new potatoes, blanched and halved
  9. 2 duck confit thighs, precooked and deboned
  10. 250 mL (1 cup) 35% M.F. cream
  11. 250 mL (1 cup) grated Swiss Gruyère cheese
  12. 20 leaves of fresh sage
  13. To taste, maple syrup

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
  2. Place pears in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix well. Set aside.
  3. Fry lardoons until golden brown in a large skillet over medium heat. Set lardoons and a bit of the cooking fat aside.
  4. Fry the onion for a few minutes in same skillet.
  5. Add reserved pears and caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Still using same skillet, fry mushrooms, adding a little oil if needed.
  7. Add potatoes and fry quickly. Set aside.
  8. Evenly divide the duck thigh confit meat, followed by the mushroom and potato mixture into the bottom of four small, cast-iron casserole dishes.
  9. Do the same with the pear and onion mixture.
  10. Sprinkle on reserved lardoons.
  11. Pour 60 mL (¼ cup) of cream into each casserole dish.
  12. Top each casserole with 60 mL (¼ cup) Swiss Gruyère cheese.
  13. Bake for 25 minutes.
  14. Place under the broiler for about 1 minute so cheese is nicely melted.
  15. When ready to serve, sprinkle with sage and drizzle with a little maple syrup. Accompany with buttered green beans or grilled cauliflower.

TIP

To make deboning easier, heat the duck thighs for a few seconds in microwave.

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