Recipes: Chicken Leg Confit, Fingerling Potatoes, Clotted Cream, Pork Belly With Balsamic Glaze

Chicken Leg Confit Serves 2.

Note: Confit is cured meat, slowly poached in its own fat.

• 2 large chicken legs (about 1 lb., 4 oz.)

• 2 tbsp. kosher salt

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 4 sprigs parsley

• 10 turns black pepper

• 4 garlic cloves, smashed

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

Rinse and dry chicken and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the kosher salt, rosemary, parsley, black pepper and smashed garlic cloves and mix to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 2 hours, and as long as 6, refrigerated.

Fill the Sous Vide Supreme (or other water bath) with water and preheat to 180 degrees. Rinse the chicken, reserving aromatics, and pat dry.

From the reserved aromatics, wrap 2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs parsley and 1 sprig rosemary in cheesecloth and place in a Foodsaver bag. Add chicken and butter. Vacuum and seal.

Cook in the Sous Vide Supreme at 180 degrees for 31/2 hours. The chicken legs are ready when they feel very tender when pressed and the meat starts to pull away from the bone. (If using free-range chicken legs, cook another 1/2 hour.)

At this point, you may reserve the chicken legs for finishing later. Simply transfer the bags to an ice water bath and chill thoroughly; dry bag and refrigerate.

To finish, remove the chicken legs from the bag, saving the butter.

Preheat oven to broil and set oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler. Place chicken on a small baking pan and baste with the reserved butter. Broil until the skin turns golden brown, basting with butter every minute or two, about 15 minutes. Serve chicken confit with a salad.

Nutrition information per leg:

Calories375Fat23 gSodium400 mgSaturated fat8 g

Carbohydrates0 gCalcium19 mg

Protein39 gCholesterol150 mgDietary fiber0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 5 medium-fat meat.

Fingerling Potatoes in Brown Butter Serves 4.

Note: Fingerlings are white thumb-sized potatoes. Some boiled fingerling potatoes have a dry texture, but not so when cooked sous vide. The brown butter penetrates the potatoes and they remain very moist.

• 11/2 lb. fingerling potatoes, peeled (see Note)

• 3 tbsp. butter

• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 10 turns freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Fill the Sous Vide Supreme (or other water bath) with water and preheat to 185 degrees.

Peel the fingerlings and cut the large ones in half. Heat the butter in a small pan until it foams and browns. Remove from heat, add rosemary and shake pan so that the butter foams up over the rosemary. Infuse until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard rosemary.

Place the potatoes in a Foodsaver bag and add the brown butter, salt and pepper. Squeeze potatoes through the bag until coated with the brown butter. Vacuum-pack to seal.

Submerge the potatoes in the preheated water and cook at 185 degrees for 1 hour. They will feel tender when pressed. Remove from the bag and serve.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories210Fat8 gSodium216 mgSaturated fat6 g

Carbohydrates31 gCalcium15 mg

Protein3 gCholesterol23 mgDietary fiber3 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch, 1 1/2 fat.

Pork Belly With Balsamic Glaze Serves 4.

Note: Pork belly is self-descriptive. Think uncured, unsmoked slab bacon that isn't yet bacon. These days it's both a gourmet item, often found on restaurant menus, and a second-class cut. Meat markets and some groceries carry it; you may have to special-order the meat. This dish is good served with a warm lentil salad.

• 21/2 lb. slab pork belly (the leaner the better)

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 tsp. sugar

• 5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

• 4 tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 tbsp. molasses

• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

• Wondra flour

• 1 tbsp. canola oil

Directions

Rub the pork belly with kosher salt and sugar and set on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme (or another water bath) to 180 degrees. Rinse and dry the belly and vacuum pack in a large Foodsaver bag.

Submerge the bag of pork belly into the water and cook at 180 degrees for 12 hours. The belly should feel tender when pressed.

If not using immediately, chill the belly thoroughly by dropping it (still in the bag) into a large bowl of ice water. When cold, store in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve: Heat the pork belly again in 180-degree water until hot, about 30 minutes. Remove the hot pork belly from the bag, drain and pat dry.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Dust the fat side of the belly with Wondra flour and place the 2 pieces of belly in the pan, fat side down. Cook until a light golden brown crust forms on the underside, then flip and cook the other side to golden brown. Holding the belly flat against the pan, pour off all excess fat.

For the glaze: Combine the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, molasses and soy sauce. Add the glaze mixture to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Tilt the pan and, using a serving spoon, baste the pork with the glaze. Cook and baste until the glaze reduces to a syrup and clings to the belly, about 3 minutes.

Carefully remove the pork to a cutting board and allow to cool a bit before slicing the belly across the grain. Serve.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories445Fat28 gSodium1,090 mg

Carbohydrates23 gSaturated fat9 gCalcium63 mg

Protein24 gCholesterol96 mgDietary fiber0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 11/2 other carb, 3 high-fat meat, 1 fat.

Clotted Cream Makes about 13/4 cup.

Note: This method is from Doug Flicker, chef/owner of Piccolo in Minneapolis.

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

Directions

Divide the cream between 2 quart-sized plastic containers, such as yogurt or cottage cream containers. Place in the Sous Vide Supreme and add water around the plastic containers until it reaches the level of the cream.

Set the machine at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaving the cover off, cook the cream for 8 hours (overnight). Remove the cream from the water bath and set into ice water to cool. When cold, carefully spoon the thickened, clotted cream off the top and reserve.

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon:

Calories60Fat6 gSodium6 mg

Carbohydrates0 gSaturated fat4 gCalcium11 mg

Protein0 gCholesterol23 mgDietary fiber0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 fat.