Confit Of Duck Breast And Sausage Cassoulet Food

WHOLE-DUCK CASSOULET

Steps:

• Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan and add the beans. Remove from heat and let soak for 1 hour.
• Cut the bacon slab into 4 large chunks and cover in water in another saucepan; turn the heat to medium, and when the water boils, turn it down to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes.
• Make a bouquet garni by combining the parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves and whole cloves in a piece of cheesecloth and tying it into a bundle. (I never use cheesecloth myself but turn to my old tea ball, which is around for only this purpose.) Add it, along with the bacon, to the beans; bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, skimming occasionally, until the beans are just tender, 45 to 90 minutes. (Add water if necessary; ideally the beans will be moist but not swimming when they're done.) Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Put 3 tablespoons reserved duck fat in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the lamb and brown the pieces well. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 or 6 minutes; turn off heat.
• Remove the duck confit from the refrigerator and scrape off the fat; debone and shred the meat. Add the meat and garlic cloves to the pot with the lamb, along with 2 cups duck stock, tomatoes, chopped garlic and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is very tender, 1 to 1.5 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• When you're ready to assemble the cassoulet, discard the bouquet garni. Cut the fat from the meat and cut the meat into small pieces.
• Heat 2 tablespoons reserved duck fat in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook, turning as necessary until well browned; transfer to a cutting board and slice into quarter-inch rounds; don't wash out the pan.
• Heat the oven to 375. Transfer a layer of beans to a large enameled cast-iron pot with a slotted spoon to leave behind most of the cooking liquid. Layer half of the sausage and bacon on top, then another layer of beans, then half the duck-and-lamb mixture; repeat the layers until you have used all the beans and meat.
• Put the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, uncovered, then turn off heat. Cover with bread crumbs and chopped parsley leaves and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• While the cassoulet is in the oven, put the skillet used for cooking the sausage over medium-high heat. When it's hot, cook the duck breasts, skin-side down, until they release easily from the pan, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook to rare, just another minute or 2. Remove the duck from the pan with a slotted spoon and pour the drippings from the pan over the cassoulet; reduce oven heat to 350.
• Bake the cassoulet until it's hot, bubbling and crusted around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes; add a little duck stock if it starts to look too dry. Slice the duck breasts on the diagonal and transfer them to the pot, tucking them into the bread crumbs. Cook until the breasts are medium rare, another 5 minutes or so, then serve.

CHEF JOHN'S QUICK CASSOULET

Steps:

• Add bacon to a large, cold oven-ready skillet. Place over medium heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, until almost crisp. Transfer to a bowl, reserving the grease in the pan.
• Stir in sausage slices; cook 3-4 minutes. Add chicken thigh pieces; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until browned. Remove meat to the plate with bacon. Discard all the oil, but don't wipe out the pan.
• Add chopped onion and turn the heat to medium-low; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of chicken stock.
• Mash about 1/4 of the beans in a small bowl, stir all the beans into the pan.
• Stir in cayenne, rosemary and thyme. Add reserved meat back to the pan. Stir in remaining cup of stock or more if needed to cover. Return to simmer.
• Mix bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and melted butter together in a small bowl.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 7 inches from the heat source.
• Sprinkle the cassoulet with half the bread crumb mixture. Place under the broiler and cook about 5 minutes, until browned.
• Remove the pan and push bread crumbs down into the cassoulet. Top with remaining bread crumb mixture. Return to oven and continue broiling 5 more minutes, until browned.
• Turn off the broiler and leave in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Enjoy.

DUCK CASSOULET

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown the sliced sausage over medium heat.
• Insert whole cloves into onion. Roll bacon up, and tie with a string. Tie together parsley, thyme, and rosemary.
• In a large slow cooker, place soaked beans, sausage, bacon, onion studded with cloves, fresh herbs, bay leaf, carrots, minced garlic, and duck. Add enough water to cover the other ingredients. Cook for 1 hour on HIGH. Reduce heat to LOW, and continue cooking for 6 to 8 hours.
• Remove onion, bacon, and herbs. Stir in chopped tomatoes. Continue cooking for 1/2 hour. Serve.

CASSOULET (FRENCH STEW MADE WITH DUCK AND SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. FOR THE BEANS: In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Saute the onions and celery for 4 minutes, or until they are slightly wilted.
• Add the beans, salt, cayenne, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until beans are tender and most of the water is absorbed, about 2 hours.
• FOR THE MEATS: In a large oven proof skillet, over medium high heat, combine the flour and oil. Stirring constantly, make a medium brown roux.
• Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, carrots, salt and cayenne. Stirring constantly, cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are slightly wilted.
• Add the duck legs and sausages and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
• Add the chicken broth and stir the mixture until the roux and broth are combined and mixture thickens. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any brown particles. Bring to a boil. Add the beans and duck meat. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.
• FOR THE GRATINE: In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and olive oil. Mix well. When the bean/meat mixture is cooked, spoon the gratine evenly over the top and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon a serving of the mixture from the pan onto a plate and add garnishments.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• 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. Cover, set the slow cooker on HIGH, and cook for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to LOW and cook until the duck is very, very tender--at least 4 and up to 8 hours. Use a slotted spoon to remove the duck from the fat, which can be strained, frozen, and reused. Serve the duck hot or at room temperature, or use it to make cassoulet.
• 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. 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. Strain the rendered fat into a bowl. Rendered chicken fat can be kept in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 6 months.

CONFIT OF DUCK BREAST AND SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Drain cooked beans and pour into an electric slow cooker (4 1/2 qt or larger).
• Remove skin from duck breasts. Place breasts on a bowl and add salt and sugar. Let sit 30 minutes, refrigerated. Rinse breasts well under running water and cut meat into 1 in chunks.
• In a large skillet, brown bacon until crisp. Discard all but 1 tbs fat from skillet. Add onions and garlic to bacon and stir until onion begins to brown. Add broth and wine, bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet.
• Pour broth mixture into slow cooker with the beans. Add the rest of the ingredients and place duck pieces on top.Cover pot and cook for 5-6 hours.
• Uncover and add the sausage slices. Let cook for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve hot.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK CASSOULET RECIPE

Steps:

• Set the oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3. Put a deep roasting tin in the oven to heat up or preheat a slow-cook pot.
• Heat a large frying pan, add the seasoned duck portions, skin-side down, and leave them to brown, then turn them over to seal the meat. Put in the hot tin or pot, drain off all but 1tbsp of fat.
• Add the pork to the pan and let it brown all over. Spoon into the tin or pot. Add the sausages, lardons, onion wedges and garlic halves, cut-side down, to the pan and brown them all over.
• Tip this mixture into the tin or pot. Add the tomatoes and stock to the pan, along with the chilli, thyme and sherry vinegar. Bring to the boil. Add the beans and pour it all into the tin or pot; stir to mix. Cover the tin with foil, shiny side down, and cook for 1½ hours. Cook in the pot on Auto for 4-5 hours.
• Take the tin out of the oven. Discard the garlic and chilli, if you like. Tear chunks off the baguette and throw them on top. Put the cassoulet in the oven and turn up the heat to 180°C/356°F/Gas Mark 4 to cook, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes to crisp bread. Tip the cassoulet cooked in the slow-cook pot into a roasting tin and finish off in the oven, as above.

WILD MALLARD DUCK CASSOULET WITH DUCK CONFIT, WHITE BEANS, SURRY COUNTY SAUSAGE, BRAISED GREENS, AND POACHED DUCK FOIE GRAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cassoulet: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add shallots, white beans, duck confit, sausage, and the reserved bean braising liquid. Simmer to blend flavors, about 15 to 20 minutes. If needed, add the reserved duck stock to maintain a sauce-like but not syrupy consistency. At the very end, add the local braising greens. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm.
• For the duck breast: Season duck with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the clarified butter. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down. Sear the breasts until the skin is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and fresh butter. Bake until medium-rare, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the duck. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the foie gras: Place the portioned duck foie gras into a heavy duty freezer bag, pressing out the excess air to seal. Bring a saucepan or water to a gentle simmer. When ready to serve the dish, drop the bag of foie gras into the simmering water for about 2 minutes, until the foie gras is softened throughout.
• In a bowl, spoon the white bean ragout into the center. Allow the sauce to fill the bottom of the dish. Slice the duck breast, and place on the ragout skin side up. Open the bag of poached foie gras and season with kosher salt and white pepper. Place on top of the sliced duck breasts and enjoy.