Steve Wertz wrote:

> Confit D¢oie, by DEFINITION, means "preserved goose" (in that
> order of words). This day in age, we will probably find
> definitions of the dish that omit "preserved", but historically,
> it's a method of preserving meat. What they've done to the term
> recently out of laziness and economics sake is their problem.

There is no lower limit on when a preserved food can be consumed. Once it is
prepared and preserved it can be eaten any time before it goes bad.

> Sure it can be eaten right away, but it's just duck cooked in fat,
> not confit. And I'm sure even Julia would wholeheartedly
> recommend letting it age like a true confit. And I'm sure her
> recipe says that.

It is still confit. It has been preserved. It is a true confit once it has
gone through the process. It is not a cheese or a wine that needs to age.
It went through a process that is supposed to stop further changes.