“Rillettes are usually as simple as piling shredded duck confit into pots and refrigerating them,” says Curtis Stone. “Here the meat is left in larger pieces and pressed into a terrine for a striking presentation. I serve a slice with this tangy piccalilli to cut through the richness. The piccalilli also packs a pow served with ham, bacon and eggs, a ploughman’s lunch or a sharp cheese. It’s quick and simple to make, which is good because bought piccalilli just doesn’t cut it. Both the piccalilli and terrine are something a bit different to take to a party or picnic as they transport easily.” Begin this recipe two days ahead to brine the duck and the vegetables for the piccalilli.
Ingredients
Piccalilli
Duck brine
Method
Main
1.For piccalilli, combine cauliflower, green beans, radishes, capsicum, cucumber and salt in a bowland toss to combine. Transfer to a colander, place in a large bowl and refrigerate for a day to brine. Rinse vegetables, drain and set aside. Combine cornflour and spices in a small bowl and whisk in 60ml vinegar to form a smooth slurry. Bring sugar and remaining vinegar to the boil in a large saucepan, whisking to dissolve sugar. Whisk in slurry and simmer, whisking continuously, until thickened (2-3 minutes). Stir for about 3 minutes, or until mixture no longer tastes floury. Stir in reserved vegetables and bring back to heat. Cool slightly, pack into sterilised jars, cool and refrigerate for up to a month.
2.For duck brine, combine ingredients and 500ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat, add 1.5 litres cold water and cool to room temperature. Place duck in a large container, pour brine over, cover and refrigerate for a day. Drain, rinse duck and pat dry with paper towels.
3.Preheat oven to 150C. Place duck fat in a large, deep flameproof roasting pan wide enough to fit duck legs in a single layer and melt over medium heat. Add duck (it should be submerged), cover tightly with 2 sheets of foil, transfer to oven and cook until meat is very tender and pulls easily from bones (3-3½ hours). Remove duck from fat (duck fat can be cooled and reused 2 or 3 times, but can get salty after repeated use), cool slightly then discard skin from duck legs and pull meat from bones, leaving meat in large pieces. Place in a large bowl, add vinegar, green peppercorns, sage and 60ml duck fat, season to taste and gently toss to combine.
4.Line an 8cm-deep, 9cm x 15cm (1-litre) terrine with plastic wrap, leaving overhang, add duck mixture, packing it into an even layer to remove any air pockets, and fold plastic wrap over to cover. Poke holes with a skewer through plastic wrap to prevent air bubbles in terrine. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit and place on top, weight with food cans and refrigerate overnight to set. Rillettes will keep for up to a week.
5.Unmould terrine and cut into 1cm-thick slices. Stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Serve with crostini and piccalilli garnished with chervil.
Pink curing salt is salt with nitrate added which helps preserve the colour and reduces the risk of botulism. It’s available from specialty food stockists such as The Melbourne Food Ingredient Depot. If it’s unavailable, leave it out.
