Lemon Confit Vinaigrette

LEMON CONFIT VINAIGRETTE

Historically, confit was a classic technique for preservation.
By cooking and storing meat in its own fat, it was rendered silky, flavorful and more or less shelf-stable.
Today, we’re still besotted with comfit’s ability to transform texture and supplement flavor.
Then the limits of our confiting skills exploded at the seams when we recently dined at Calliope in New York City. There, Chef Eric Korsh dodges the traditional duck, subjecting lemons and garlic to the transformative technique.
Eschewing fat, Korsh follows the method in Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook, cooking lemon rinds slowly in sugar syrup. Then Korsh adds the pulp to vinaigrette lifted from his days working at Picholine, one laden with anchovy and balsamic vinegar.
We questioned the fuss. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, after all, has always done us just fine. But Korsh’s lemon confit is to lemon juice what ketchup is to raw tomato--an entirely different animal.
Plus, the mellow confit has endless applications. Use it in vinaigrette, dice it into a rub for meat or blend it into a sauce.
Old duck, new tricks.

Recipe adapted from Eric Korsh, Calliope, New York, NY

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 lemons, halved crosswise

2. 3 cups water

3. 1 cup granulated sugar

FOR VINAIGRETTE:

4. 7 oil-packed anchovy fillets

5. 2 large egg yolks

6. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

7. ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 to 2 lemons)

8. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

9. ½ teaspoon kosher salt

10. ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

11. 1 cup canola or grape seed oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the lemon confit: In a medium saucepan set over high heat, add the lemon halves and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently until the lemons are very soft, about 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the lemons to a cutting board. Once they are cool enough to handle, use a teaspoon to scrape out the fruit and pulp, discard. Use the edge of the teaspoon to gently scrape away the white pith so you are left with 4 lemon cups.

2. In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the lemon cups and simmer until translucent, about 25 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the confited lemon cups and set aside to cool. (Save the simple syrup for cocktails, iced tea or other drinks.) 3. Make the vinaigrette: To the bowl of a food processor, add ½ of a confited lemon rind, the anchovy fillets, egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Process until combined, then through the feed tube drizzle in the oil in a slow and steady stream. Cover and refrigerate until serving.