Confit
Confit is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been cooked in oil or sugar water (syrup). Sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, confit can last for several months. Confit ("prepared") is one of the oldest ways to preserve food, and is a speciality of southwestern France.
Fruit confit
Fruit confit are
candied fruit (whole fruit, or pieces thereof) preserved in
sugar. The fruit must be fully infused with sugar, to its core; larger fruit take considerably longer than smaller ones to candy. Thus, while small fruit such as cherries are confits whole, it is quite rare to see whole large fruit, such as melon confits, making large fruit confits quite expensive.
Meat confit
Confit of
goose and
duck are usually prepared from the legs of the bird. The meat is salted and seasoned with herbs, and slowly cooked submerged in its own rendered fat, in which it is then preserved by allowing it to cool and storing it in the fat. Turkey and pork may be treated similarly. Meat confits are a specialty of the southwest of France (Toulouse, Dordogne, etc.) and are used in dishes such as cassoulet. Confit preparations originated as a means of preserving meats without refrigeration.
In a restaurant context, confit must also have a crispy skin. On a cooking competition show in Australia, French born chef and judge, Manu Feildel said: "Confit- It's got two textures: It's the meat falling off the bone, and the second texture is the crispy skin that you get on top".
Condiment confit
