Duck Leg Confit with Mixed Fruit Garnish

This is one of my favourite dishes as it is so flavorfully delicious. The meat literally falls off the bones, the skin is thin and crispy and you do not get the fattiness one would associate with duck skin.

Almost all French recipes for duck leg confits are seasoned with thyme. I could not get fresh thyme in the days I was to make the dish. So I used Ajwain seeds instead. Ajwain, a thyme flavored seed of the Carom family, is common in Indian and Middle Easter cuisine. I also added crushed bay leaves, chopped parsley, black pepper and of course, sea salt. The legs are marinated in the mixture for 24 hours. I cooked the duck legs in its own fat at 85 deg C for 4 hours, with skin side up, adding a bulb of garlic and and one or two cloves.

For the mixed fruit garnish, I use fresh apples and dried prunes, golden raisins, wolfberries, white wine, and crushed almonds. I simmer the dried fruits in fresh orange juice and a little chicken stock before adding diced apple cubes, without over cooking it to retain some crunchiness. The roasted and crushed almonds are added last.