Making Cassoulet on a Weekday
Crazy you say? I had my duck leg confit and fresh garlic sausages all ready to go, how could I NOT do it?!?!
I have a little crush on duck at the moment. It smells nice. And the fat on that bird. Intoxicating. Glorious. I feel like I haven't even begun to explore all of the wonderful ways to prepare duck. But how can I make anything without first making Cassoulet?
I quick soaked the beans this morning before taking Anya out to play. I returned to them in the afternoon and cooked them in duck stock and aromatics. How much warmer this rainy day became after I could smell the stock simmering away! I pulled the meat from the bones of the duck legs and added the bones to the simmering beans. I used a bit of the duck fat to brown the sausages and then to sauté some garlic-y bread crumbs. Fresh bread crumbs in duck fat. oh yes. I combined the meat and beans (removing the bones), topped the beans and meat with the toasted bread, and baked the whole thing for an hour.
I can't speak for the authenticity of this dish. I've never had cassoulet in France. But I have had it here. Recently, in fact, at a good restaurant. Their cassoulet does not hold a candle to this. The beans in the recipe hold their shape and do not become starchy mush. It is a little bit brothy and rich, but without making you feel bloat-y (or like you're going to have a heart-attack) after eating it. One smallish portion is satisfying, which means there will be leftovers tomorrow. Lucky me!
While the recipe requires a greater time investment than the average dinner, it is well worth it. And, to be honest it is an "easy" cassoulet recipe, so it takes much less time than others you will find.
Added bonus: Kids devoured it!
Cassoulet
--adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
Will feed 6 or more as a main course
2-1/2 cups dried white beans
7 cups cold water
3 cups duck stock
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
2 TBS finely chopped garlic
Two 1-1/2 inch slices from the green part of a leek
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves
3 fresh sprigs of flat leaf parsley
a half dozen black peppercorns
1 - 14 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 legs of duck confit, at room temperature
1 lb fresh garlic sausages
Bread Crumb Topping
1 TBS chopped garlic
2 cups fresh, coarse breadcrumbs, from a baguette
1/3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Soak beans overnight or use quick soak method (cover beans with two inches of water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, put a cover over the beans and let them sit for 1 hour or more).
Drain the beans and put them back into a large cooking pot or dutch oven. Add duck stock, water, onions, garlic and bring to a boil. Make a bouquet garni of the leek, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, parsley and peppercorns tied in a piece of cheesecloth. Turn the beans down to a simmer and add the bouquet garni to the pot. Continue cooking at a simmer (uncovered) until the beans are nearly tender: 45 minutes to an hour.
Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes more.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Meanwhile, remove the duck legs from the fat they were cooked in, scrapping away excess fat. Spoon the fat into a saucepan and melt over low heat. Pull the meat off the bones and add the bones to the simmering beans. Deposit the meat in a medium bowl. When the fat has melted, ladle about 1/4 cup of it into a heavy frying pan and turn the heat to medium high. When the pan is hot at the sausages and brown them for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and add them to the bowl containing the duck meat.
Turn the pan down to medium and add the garlic for the bread crumb topping. Sauté for a moment and let the aroma release, add the bread crumbs and toast them in the pan, turning them over frequently so the small pieces don't burn. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley, salt, and pepper.
Remove the bones and the bouquet garni from the pot. Using a ladle or slotted spoon (do not drain! you will need the liquid!), transfer the beans to a deep ceramic (oven-safe) casserole or dutch oven, distribute the meats amidst the beans. Add the stock from the beans until it is just even with the top of the meat and bean mixture. Do not submerge the beans and meat. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered, for one hour.
NOTE: To make a day ahead, be sure to cook the sausages fully to 150F before adding them to the cassoulet. Combine the beans and meat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Spread the bread crumb topping over the cooled casserole, cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking, then bake as directed at 350F for one hour.
Be sure to strain the melted duck fat back into jars when finished. You can use the fat at least a couple of times in confits (or for whatever you may need it for) before it goes bad.
