I Made It, You Eat It 

This week, Alice takes a break from learning about new foods to share a recipe of her own. Watch as she prepares her favorite duck confit pasta salad at the Healthy Living Learning Center in South Burlington. She doesn't injure herself once, and hopefully neither will you!

Here's the recipe, below:

Alice's Duck Confit Pasta Salad

1 box whole grain pasta (I like rotelli or elbows)

2 confit duck legs

About 5 leaves rainbow chard, stems removed

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Consider Bardwell Farm Pawlet cheese

Two pears, ripe but firm

Cape gooseberries, cut in half (amount to-taste)

A handful fresh mint

A handful fresh parsley (flat or curly, or a mix)

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon truffle oil

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cumin

Heat oven to 350. Roast duck confit until hot all the way through, about 15 minutes. Raise oven temperature to "broil" and move duck to the highest rack in oven. Crisp the duck skin five minutes or until dark brown and hard to the touch.

Cook pasta to a nice al dente, then set aside in a large bowl.

Chop chard leaves to 1/4 inch ribbons. Crush or chop garlic, leaving it in large chunks. Get a splash of olive oil sizzling at medium-low heat, then cook garlic until lightly browned. Add chard, cook until it begins to wilt, then squeeze in a splash of lemon juice. Add to bowl.

Peel pears and chop into 1/4 inch squares. Do the same with the cheese, taking care to remove the rind. Add to bowl.

If cape gooseberries are in season, remove them from their wrappers, then cut in half. Add to bowl.

Grab a hearty handful of mint. Remove the leaves, then chop them, but not too finely. Do the same with the parsley. Add to bowl.

Once the confit has cooled, tear bite sized pieces from the legs and toss right into the bowl. Remove any excess fat with a knife, if necessary. Crisp skin is permissible, chunks of fat are not.

Lightly fold all ingredients, then pour in the oils, lemon juice and cumin. Fold again, making sure that every surface is coated with oil and lemon.

Enjoy! And know that it just gets better as it marinates, so eat your salad slowly!