Duck Confit Takes The US - Food Trends

Few foods are more indulgent than duck confit, a fact our French friends have known for years.

Now this preparation, in which duck meat is stewed slowly in fat until it has the texture of butter in the sun, is embarking on an American comfort-food tour: Chefs are dotting classic dishes–from hot dogs to tater tots–with this French export, and the results are doubly delicious.

At chef Tyler Florence's new Rotisserie & Wine in Napa Valley, a confit of Sonoma-raised duck supplants fried chicken atop waffles garnished with maple syrup, whiskey and quince sofrito. Chicken is further upended at Lyon in New York, where confit duck wings are fried and slicked with an orange-chile glaze.

In Washington, D.C., the Oval Room's chef, Tony Conte, takes inspiration from the school lunch: His kasu-marinated duck breast comes with an oversize tater tot, its interior flecked with bits of duck confit. And the hot dog is weighted with a hood of long-cooked duck richness at Franks 'n' Dawgs, a new sausage shack in Chicago.

If you want a touch of French indulgence but don't have the time to make your own confit, seek it out at your local butcher shop or order it online here.

Editor's Note: Rotisserie & Wine and Lyon have since closed.