History

The cou farci is a peasant charcuterie tradition from the Gers and Landes, using the skin of the duck neck stuffed with the duck's own foie gras, lean pork, lard and seasoning. The dish was a way to use every part of the fattened duck. It is served sliced cold as a starter, or warmed in fat and crisped on a hot pan.

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 2 duck necks with skin, deboned
  • 150g raw duck foie gras, cubed
  • 200g pork shoulder, ground
  • 50g pork back fat, diced
  • 30ml Armagnac
  • Sea salt, black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 500g duck fat for confit
  • Kitchen string

Method

  1. Mix the pork shoulder, back fat, foie gras, Armagnac, garlic, nutmeg and seasoning.
  2. Stuff the duck necks tightly with the mixture, leaving a small gap for shrinkage.
  3. Tie both ends with kitchen string. Refrigerate 1 hour.
  4. Melt the duck fat in a heavy pan over low heat. The cou should be fully submerged.
  5. Cook at 90C for 3 hours, until the duck skin is tender.
  6. Let cool in the fat. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in the fat.
  7. To serve, lift from fat, slice 1cm thick. Either eat cold with toast or crisp the slices in a hot pan.

Tip from the editors. Ask your butcher to debone the duck necks; this is the hard part. Submerge fully in fat or the cooking is uneven.

Where to eat cou de canard farci

Cou de canard farci in Toulouse

Chez Navarre ★ 4.5

French regional€€saint-etienne

Chez Navarre is saint-etienne table d'hotes with shared long tables, adopted as a canteen by locals and missed by visitors who stick to capitole.

Why locals love it: Saint-Etienne table d'hotes with shared long tables, adopted as a canteen by locals and missed by visitors who stick to Capitole.

Tip: Eat at the long shared tables; bookings essential, the locals adopt it as a canteen.

49 Grande Rue Nazareth, 31000 Toulouse

Le Genty Magre ★ 4.5

Gascon€€€carmes

Le Genty Magre between Esquirol and Capitole is chef Romain Brard's southwestern dining room, winner of the 2023 Toulouse Cassoulet Championship.

Signature: Cassoulet de Toulouse, Bourgeois southwestern menu, Foie gras

Tip: The cassoulet sells in glass jars to take home; book the small inner room for the calmer service.

3 Rue Genty Magre, 31000 Toulouse

Restaurant Emile ★ 4.6

Gascon€€€saint-georges

Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.

Signature: Cassoulet de Toulouse with confit duck, Magret de canard, Foie gras maison

Tip: Order the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.

13 Place Saint-Georges, 31000 Toulouse Book →

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