Duck Croquette with Summer Squash Ragout and Duck Jus

• Chef’s Note: To make this recipe completely from scratch is a very time consuming multi-day process. Most of that time is spent on making the duck confit for the croquettes. However a lot of higher end stores and butcher shops these days carry confit duck legs in their deli/ charcuterie sections. If you’re only making this recipe for a few people and you’re at all strapped for time I recommend calling around to your local shops and seeing if they carry confit duck legs.
• First, we are going to lightly cure the duck legs overnight, this imparts flavor and pulls moisture from the skin to improve texture once the duck is cooked. In a Ziploc bag, add your duck legs, salt, garlic, shallot, pepper, and parsley. Rub the mixture in the bag so the duck legs are coated then place the bag in the refrigerator to cure overnight.
• Rinse the cure from the duck and pat dry. Place the duck into a deep roasting pan or Dutch oven and cover with melted duck fat. The duck should be fully submerged.
• Cover with parchment and foil and bake in the oven at 325°F for 2 hours or until fork tender. The time will vary depending on your oven, it could be up to 3 hours.
• Once the legs are cooked remove from the oven and uncover the legs. Add 5 cloves of crushed garlic, sprig of rosemary and 5 sprigs of fresh thyme to the hot fat and allow to cool completely (a few hours). You can store you duck this was for up to a week prior to when you would like to serve.
• Using tongs remove the duck legs from the fat and sear them over medium heat in a skillet, skin side down for 4 to 5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
• Remove the legs from the pan and let them cool on a rack for another half hour or so.
• Using your hands, shred the duck meat into small pieces and discard all the bones.
• Store the shredded meat in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the croquettes.

• In a pot with cold water, add the potatoes, garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of salt.
• Bring to a boil then drop to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are completely soft.
• Strain off the water and pass the potatoes and garlic through a food mill/ ricer.
• Add the cream and butter to the potatoes and stir until completely smooth.
• Transfer to a container without a lid and let them cool in the fridge until they are completely cooled (30–60 minutes).

• In a large bowl, combine the cold mashed potatoes, shredded duck confit, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, parmesan, parsley, chives, Dijon mustard, ½ cup breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
• Mix until evenly incorporated.
• Portion out the croquette mix into 1 ½” balls and then flatten them slightly into discs.
• Set up a station with 3 medium sized bowls. First bowl has the flour, second bowl has 10 whisked eggs, and the third bowl has 2 cups breadcrumbs.
• Using one hand pick up one of the (soon to be) croquettes and roll it in the flour in bowl one, lightly coating it. Gently shake off any excess flour and drop it into the egg, making sure to keep whichever hand you are using dry.
• With your other hand pick the croquette out of the egg mix and, again, let any excess egg drip back into the bowl.
• Place the croquette in breadcrumbs and roll it in the panko until it’s evenly coated.
• Place the breaded croquette on a sheet tray and repeat the process until they are all breaded.
• Store the breaded croquettes on a sheet tray in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking them.
• Heat your deep fryer to 350°F with a neutral vegetable oil. Deep fry the croquettes until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from the fryer and season with salt.

• Sauté the shallots, carrots, and squash with a little vegetable oil over medium/ high heat until they start to brown about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the pepper and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine and once the wine is almost completely reduced add the butter and stir for a minute until the butter is melted and coating the veggies. Add the parsley.

• Chef’s Note: If you’re having trouble finding a duck carcass, chicken bones work just as well. You can also omit the ingredient entirely, but it adds wonderful depth of flavor.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Roast the duck bones, onion, and carrot in the oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place in a large pot.
• Add the bay, rosemary, and chicken stock plus 2 quarts cold water.
• Bring to a very low simmer. Let the stock simmer for 5 hours. If it reduces by more than 25% before 5 hours have passed, then add a little water and keep simmering.
• After 5 hours strain the stock into another pot and reduce over high heat to ½ quart or until it’s glossy and it coats a spoon (should be less than an hour). Season with salt and pepper and whisk in a tablespoon of butter if desired.

On a warm plate, spread a generous amount of Summer Squash Ragout. Place the Duck Croquette on top and finish with the duck jus. Serve immediately with a glass of Zephyr.