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1
Place the duck breasts in the insert of a 5 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker and add the fat, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence.
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2
Cover, set the slow cooker on HIGH, and cook for 1 hour.
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3
Reduce the heat to LOW and cook until the duck is very, very tender--at least 4 and up to 8 hours.
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4
Use a slotted spoon to remove the duck from the fat, which can be strained, frozen, and reused.
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5
Serve the duck hot or at room temperature, or use it to make cassoulet.
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6
NOTE: You can buy canned goose fat in gourmet food stores.
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7
If you have not accumulated your own duck or goose fat, chicken fat is perfectly acceptable.
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8
There are three ways to get chicken fat for this recipe: You can skim congealed fat off the top of chicken soup or stock, buy it in a plastic tub from a kosher butcher, or make it yourself.
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9
To make your own, place raw chicken fat in a heavy saucepan and cook very slowly over medium-low heat until the fat has melted, the connective tissue has darkened and crisped, and any water has evaporated.
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10
Strain the rendered fat into a bowl.
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11
Rendered chicken fat can be kept in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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12
If you cannot find herbes de Provence, you can make your own by combining equal amounts of dried tarragon, rosemary, chervil, basil, and thyme leaves.
