Duck confit, pear, and fennel bites

By meganvt01 • December 4, 2011 • 7 Comments

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Author Notes: These are ingredients I generally have in my refrigerator. I just made a big batch of duck confit legs - using Emeril's recipe - which was amazing, but you can certainly buy duck legs pre-made (I like D'artagnan). These flavors are everything that is wonderful about fall. The pears accentuate the natural sweetness of the fennel when its roasted, the duck is sinfully savory and the cheese sets the balance. And who doesn't like a bite of duck in puff pastry? - meganvt01

Makes 24 bites

1 sheet puff pastry - defrosted
1 duck leg confit - skin removed, meat chopped
1 small bulb fennel, chopped
1 large firm pear, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 ounces brie cheese, rinds included, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Mix on a baking sheet the fennel, pear, thyme, garlic, and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes in a 400 degree, preheated oven. Stir 2-3 times. Remove.
Add chopped duck confit and sherry vinegar to hot cookie sheet. Stir to combine. Taste and season again with salt and pepper if necessary.
Roll out your thawed puff pastry on a floured work surface to a 12 inch square. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 24 equal pieces. Press each piece into a mini-muffin tin (you'll need more than 1 muffin tin), making a small cup.
Place 1 square brie cheese in each mini-muffin cup. Add 1.5 teaspoons of the duck, sherry, pear, fennel mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.