duck fat in philly?

[nbourbaki]

Hi CHers,

I am looking to buy duck fat (cassoulet season is upon us) in Philly, but havent found any at Reading Terminal market.

any suggestions on where to go before I head online?

[Boognish]

I just read elsewhere that Whole Foods often carries duck fat for cheap. Now, what his definition of "cheap" is, I don't know.

[nbourbaki]

Hi all,

Thanks for all for all of the suggestions. The retail Aus. and Ting didn't have any there, but the wholesaler does. I will see if I can get some later. There webpage lists a frozen 2lb container for $14. Di Bruno has d'Artagen at 9$ for 6oz. that would be too much money for making my own confit.

I will see this project through, but I have a feeling it will be the last time. I am learning his is one dish well worth ordering when I see at a restaurant, giving its price and labor to produce.

Thanks again.

nbourbaki

[Boognish]

Really? I think that's a shame. I buy whole ducks at Super 8 Grocery on Washington (and 16th) for about $7. I remove the thighs/legs for confit, remove the breasts for pan searing, cut off all the skin which I cut into small pieces and render over very low heat for the fat (to confit the thighs), and brown the carcass for stock. For $7 I end up with multiple meals of my favorite animal. I strongly suggest you give it a shot. Very economical. You even end up with cups of duck fat that's perfect for frying potatoes, eggs, or using in place of bacon fat in salad dressings. The fat stays good for months in the fridge or somewhat indefinitely in stored properly in the freezer if you want to reserve it for the next batch of confit.

And hey, you're utilizing the entire animal! It's win-win!

[nbourbaki]

ok Boognish, you talked me into it. i will give it another go after this (I already have the other ingredients) starting with whole ducks. If I were to separate the breast to use on its own (which I love) do I need to look for a certain kind of duck? the last time I roasted a whole duck I thought the breast was very small and thin.

thanks

[Boognish]

Well, ideally you'd use moulard duck, which is larger than the typical Pekin variety. Pekins won't have the large plump breast meat of the Moulards..and like you said, will be small and thin. That said, I still use the Pekins because I'm primarily after the thighs for confit'ing.

Check out Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France for all kinds of good info including a section on how to break down a duck and great recipes for confit (and what to do with the rest of the duck.) Oh, and if you're into this type of thing, I find the Pekin breasts make nice duck "prosciutto", by curing them in salt for 24 hours, wrapping them in cheesecloth, and hanging them for a week or so.

Also, I just wanted to mention that you could always buy 2 or 3 ducks and use their fat for your initial batch of confit (with the pre-purchased thighs). I don't think you'd get tired of too much confit (but if you do, just let me know!) Like I said earlier, the fat is reusable and stores very well. Just make a big batch!

[Boognish]

I render my own from ducks I buy from Vietnamese grocers. Easy and much cheaper than buying it pre-rendered.

[Bob Loblaw]

I was in di bruno's at 18th & chestnut yesterday and saw some thre. it's d'antagnan (sp?) brand. never bought it, so can't say how it stacks up against other duck fats, which i've also never bought.
it's at the part of the store by 18th street. all the way toward 18th st, actually.

[Major504]

D'Artangnan....it's good stuff.

[babbostoli]

try assouline & ting on delaware ave. past aramingo, they definitly have it or talk to a chef at a local restaurant and see if you can buy a pound or two.

[joypirate]

I'm not necessarily sending you back there, but some of the RTM guys are sort of 'neighborhood-y' and though they might not have any in their cases, I feel like if I struck up a conversation with the Godshall's guys they'd maybe find me some or point me in the right direction. Some vendors are sorta cool about getting you stuff that isn't on display, like when I randomly needed many pounds of short ribs one day they made it happen.

[GDSwamp]

Try D'Angelo's in the Italian market. I bought rendered lard there the other day - he does all sorts of curing in-house and is a good bet for odds and ends you can't find elsewhere.

[phillyjazz]

If you don't need a whole lot, you might try buying some canned duck liver and using the left over fat .... I use it to sautée baby new potatoes ...

[bumble]

Try DiBruno Bros at Rittenhouse.