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.
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Make it at home
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
- Mix the pork shoulder, back fat, foie gras, Armagnac, garlic, nutmeg and seasoning.
- Stuff the duck necks tightly with the mixture, leaving a small gap for shrinkage.
- Tie both ends with kitchen string. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Melt the duck fat in a heavy pan over low heat. The cou should be fully submerged.
- Cook at 90C for 3 hours, until the duck skin is tender.
- Let cool in the fat. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in the fat.
- 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
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 goSaint-Etienne table d'hotes with shared long tables, adopted as a canteen by locals and missed by visitors who stick to Capitole.
TipEat at the long shared tables; bookings essential, the locals adopt it as a canteen.
Le Genty Magre ★ 4.5
Le Genty Magre between Esquirol and Capitole is chef Romain Brard's southwestern dining room, winner of the 2023 Toulouse Cassoulet Championship.
SignatureCassoulet de Toulouse, Bourgeois southwestern menu, Foie gras
TipThe cassoulet sells in glass jars to take home; book the small inner room for the calmer service.
Restaurant Emile ★ 4.6
Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.
SignatureCassoulet de Toulouse with confit duck, Magret de canard, Foie gras maison
TipOrder the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.
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