Lavender-Honey Duck Confit Tartlets with Toasted Almond Crust

Instructions

1. 1

   Generously salt and pepper the duck legs. Sprinkle with lavender buds. Place in a dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

   ~600 min
2. 2

   Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Rinse excess salt and pepper from the duck legs. Place duck legs in an oven-safe dish and cover completely with duck fat. Bake for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

   ~180 min
3. 3

   Remove duck legs from the fat and reserve the fat. Once cool enough to handle, shred the duck meat, discarding bones and skin. In a small bowl, mix the shredded duck with honey.

   ~15 min
4. 4

   For the tartlet crust: In a large bowl, combine flour and a pinch of salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, mixing until the dough just comes together.

   ~10 min
5. 5

   Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

   ~30 min
6. 6

   Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out circles to fit your tartlet pans. Press the dough into the pans, trimming any excess.

   ~15 min
7. 7

   Line each tartlet shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove parchment and weights and bake for another 5-7 minutes until lightly golden.

   ~22 min
8. 8

   Remove tartlet shells from oven and let cool slightly. Fill each tartlet shell with the honey-glazed duck confit. Sprinkle generously with toasted slivered almonds. Brush the edges of the tartlets with the beaten egg white for a slight sheen.

   ~5 min
9. 9

   Return tartlets to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until the almonds are lightly browned and the filling is warmed through.

   ~10 min