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1
Combine the kosher salt (20 g per kilogram of duck), cracked black pepper, crushed juniper berries, and fresh thyme. Rub the mixture evenly over all surfaces of the duck legs. Place in a single layer in a non-reactive container, cover, and refrigerate at 2–4°C for 12 to 24 hours. The cure is complete when the surface of the meat feels visibly moist and the flesh is firm to the touch.
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2
Rinse the cured legs under cold water to remove the salt crust and pat thoroughly dry with a cloth. This is where the dish lives or dies: submerge the legs completely in rendered duck fat in a deep, heavy vessel and bring the fat to a steady 120°C (250°F). Cook for 3 to 4 hours. The confit is ready when a probe inserted into the thickest part of the thigh meets no resistance and the internal temperature has held at 82–85°C for at least 30 minutes, confirming full collagen-to-gelatin conversion in the connective tissue surrounding the femur.
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3
Lift the legs from the fat and allow them to rest until cool enough to handle. Strain and reserve the cooking fat. Pull the skin free and set it aside. Remove all meat from the bone, discarding the bones. The flesh should separate readily into coarse fibers; if it resists, the collagen conversion is incomplete.
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4
While the meat is still warm, fold it together with strained cooking fat at a ratio of 3 parts shredded meat to 1 part fat. Season with fleur de sel and a pinch of ground mace, then add a few drops of Armagnac. Mix only enough to combine — the texture should remain coarse and fibrous, not homogeneous. Taste: the rillettes should read mineral and iron-forward, not fatty or flat.
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5
Pack the rillettes firmly into ramekins, pressing out air pockets. Pour a 5 mm layer of strained, warm duck fat over each surface to seal. The fat layer is even and opaque when set; no meat should breach the surface. Refrigerate at 2–4°C. The seal is sound when the fat cap is fully solidified and adhered to the ramekin walls.
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6
Optional garnish: spread the reserved duck skin in a single layer on a rack set over a tray and roast at 180°C until golden, rendered, and rigid. The skin is ready when it snaps cleanly rather than bending. Crumble over the rillettes at the moment of service.
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7
Remove the ramekins from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before service. The rillettes are at the correct temperature when the fat cap has lost its opacity, the surface glistens, and the texture beneath yields to a spoon without tearing. Serve alongside pickled cherries, grain mustard, and sliced ficelle.