Did You Know "C", Confit and Creme Brulee

CONFIT
I have to admit that until recently I didn't know what 'confit' was.
A confit is the term used to describe a piece of goose, duck or turkey cooked in its own fat and stored in a pot, covered in the same fat to preserve it.
Did you know confit is a speciality from South-western France, and is one of the oldest forms of preserving food.  Different regions of France have their own confit specialities, for example in Saintonge they have confit of mallard, in Brantome, confit of duck or truffled turkey, and in Bordeaux confit of young turkey.
Goose is the most commonly used bird for making confit, because the meat is so tough this method provides an ideal way of preparing it.  A special stoneware pot container called a 'gresale' is used to marinate the meat.  Chicken, veal, rabbit, guinea fowl and woodcock are also prepared as confits throughout other regions of France.
Did you know that to obtain an authentic confit, it should be stored in a cellar for 5-6 months.

I debated whether or not to add a recipe for goose confit,  and came to the conclusion that very few would actually want to dedicate so much time in the preparation of such a dish, so instead I'm sticking with the letter of the day 'C' and including my quick and easy recipe for Creme Brulee...

Did you know that Creme Brulee is a dessert consisting of a rich custard of egg yolks, sugar and cream, sometimes flavored with either chocolate, coffee, fruit or liquer. The chilled custard is then covered with sugar and caramelized with a blow torch or under a broiler.  There's a stigma attached to this dessert that it is difficult and fussy to make, nothing could be further from the truth, this is such a simple, quick and delicious desert I beg you to try it, I know you will love it...

Creme Brulee

2 extra large eggs

4 extra large egg yolks

½ cup sugar + 1 tbsp extra for caramelizing

3 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

The seeds from 1 vanilla bean

1 tbsp Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Mix eggs & sugar together until well blended

Scald the cream until hot but not boiled

Add the cream to the eggs and mix slowly

Add the Grand Marnier, the Vanilla and the vanilla bean seeds, stir gently.  Pour into ramekins

Put ramekins in a deep pan and fill ½ way up the sides of the ramekins with boiling water. 

Bake for 40 -45  mins.

Refrigerate when cooled.

Immediately before serving sprinkle sugar over the custards, and caramelize the sugar with a blowtorch.   

If you don’t have a blowtorch, you can caramelize the sugar by placing the ramekins under a hot broiler.

Enjoy :o)