Cock's Combs Lardons

We recently received some chickens and a pintade from Joyce Foods.  The chicken is another breed I have never heard of, Naked Neck.  Upon opening the packaging we discovered not only the birds, but also a small parcel of the cutest cock's combs I had seen.  We took the birds out and immediately split one down its back, seasoned it with salt and roasted it in the oven.  We added no other fat or seasonings.  After letting the bird rest, we tore into it.  Picking and pulling, biting and chewing.  Really the only civilized way to taste test a chicken.  The bird had a meatier and more intense chicken flavor.  Similarly, it had more texture to its flesh.  The meat was not tough, rather it had texture, chew and bite.  We are now working on several other cooking methods with the other chicken and the pintade.  I want to see if we can retain most of the chicken's texture while getting a bit of silkiness as well. 

While the birds were the largest part of the package, the cock's combs were a special treat which were unexpected and caught my fancy.  I seasoned them with sesame oil, salt and pepperoncini and let them marinate overnight.  The following morning I placed them in a low oven covered in olive oil to confit.  Yet, somehow time escaped me and the combs cooked more than I had wanted.  I was furious at myself for not paying more attention to these beautiful specimens, this special treat sent to us.  I quickly pulled them out of the oil and laid them on a plate.  I still wanted to taste them even if I had overcooked them.  Well, it turns out, the slow over cooking in the oven rendered the fat out of the cock.s combs and the gelatin caramelized and the combs had the taste and texture of rendered bacon lardons: a bit of crunch, still fatty, some chew and an intense chicken flavor like nuggets of chicken fond.  These slowly overcooked cock's combs were good, really good.  They would act as a great substitute for bacon in a dish.  We worked on an asparagus dish with these delicious treats, though in further thinking I would like to do frise aux lardons with these cock's combs instead.  In fact, a miniature salad with these components would work well paired with lobster.  Similarly, a stew of fall vegetables would benefit from a scattering of these tiny tid bits.  And now we are beginning to think.