ottawa foodies

Hey everyone!

I'm having a dinner party this weekend, and I thought it would be nice to serve confit de canard with pommes sarladaises.

BUT, I'm not enough of an intrepid to make my own confit, so I'm hoping you might be able to point me in a direction where I could find confit already made, as well as a nice supply of duck fat (for the pommes!).

Thank you muchly!

I see it at Saslove's all the time; it'd be a bit of a drive from your neck of the woods, though. That or give The Butchery in Bells Corners (829-9133) a call?

I've been meaning to try my hand at making duck confit, since it seems easy but time-consuming. I'll be sure to take pictures if it happens at all.

If you feel like going for a drive, go to the farm! The Mariposa farm store is open Friday/Saturday/Sunday and the website says they sell duck confit. I've been there before, it's well worth it.

Nicastros in the Glebe

Aubrey's in the market sell confit from mariposa it's a doddle to make and you can buy the legs and fat from Mariposa. The fat keeps like a dream in the freezer and can be used for roasting potatoes and making pastry for tourtiere.

I saw it at the Costco in Gatineau on Maloney last week so they may have it at the Ottawa locations as well.
BTW - is everyone aware that the Costco in Gatineau sells beer and wine? We have been buying our beer there for the last year because it is much cheaper than buying it in Ottawa, but they only have a certain selection of brands of course.....

I saw it at the Costco in Gatineau on Maloney last week so they may have it at the Ottawa locations as well.
BTW - is everyone aware that the Costco in Gatineau sells beer and wine? We have been buying our beer there for the last year because it is much cheaper than buying it in Ottawa, but they only have a certain selection of brands of course.....

I'm waiting eagerly for the chance to snag a cheapie executive membership from my parents when their renewal time comes around, for the almost-exclusive reason of going over to the Québec side to buy cheap beer and wine. Since it's just two of us living at home here, I don't really need whole beef tenderloins and 20-kilo blocks of Gouda. Yet.

I've really enjoyed the confit at Bistro 115, and according to this link ( www.bistro115.com/takeout.html ) it is offered as takeout.

FYI - Duck confit is really really simple to make, so you should try it (maybe not for the first time for an important dinner party if it makes you nervous, but soon lol). Take duck legs, pour a bunch of coarse salt over them. Throw in a bunch of fresh herbs and flavouring (such as thyme, parsley, shallots, some citrus zest etc. - whatever you want really). Leave in the fridge to cure overnight. The next day, brush the salt and stuff off the legs. Put the legs in a big pot or pan filled with duck fat (the legs should be completely submerged in the fat - you generally can't find tubs of duck fat at the grocery store, so you'd probably have to consult your butcher - I know at least Saslov's on Wellington carries duck fat BTW). Cover the pot with foil, and cook in the oven at a low temperature (say 200 - 250 C)for about 5-6 hours (if the fat starts to darken to a brown, you know it is too hot - the oil should be a nice golden colour). Remove the duck from the fat. Voila; confit!!!

Alternatively, Petit Bill's Bistro on Wellington used to do a nice duck confit for their dinner menu and they may still do so - they are quite accomodating in terms of preparing special thigs for take-outs etc if you call in advance, so you could try them.