Confit Your Duck

Shortcut: You can purchase duck fat or duck confit from Siesel’s Old Fashioned Meats in Bay Park or you can make your own. 

Mix all dry confit ingredients together and spread on your duck. Let cure for 24 hours.  Rinse off cured salt mixture completely and pat dry.

Place duck in baking dish, cover with duck fat or blended oil.  Wrap the dish tightly in foil and bake at 325-350° degrees for 2–3 hours. Check after 2 hours. Duck legs will be fall apart tender when finished.

Remove from oil, and use a fork to shred meat off bone. Set aside.

Make Your Homemade Fettuccine

Shortcut: You can skip this step and buy fresh pasta, but making your own is easier than you think, and a lot of fun. 

Mix flours together in a bowl and slowly add water until dough starts to come together.  

Remove from bowl and turn out the dough on a flat surface lightly dusted with semolina; knead dough for 5-10 minutes until soft and smooth.

Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then run dough through a pasta machine or pasta rolling attachment starting on setting 1. Change machine setting with each pass through 5. Switch to the fettuccine cutter attachment for the final pass. Don't have a pasta machine? No problem, just roll your dough out with a rolling pin and cut into ribbons. Let rest until ready to cook.

Make the Duck Carbonara

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté garlic, shallots and leeks in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant.  Add shredded duck meat and sauté for 2 minutes more. Deglaze your pot with white wine. Add heavy cream and reduce by half.  

While your carbonara reduces, cook pasta in boiling salted water for 1-3 minutes or until al dente.

Add peas and parmesan cheese to carbonara, then stir in pasta and toss. Remove from heat. Mix in beaten egg yolks, ensuring not to scramble.  

Plate and serve.