Cassoulet Of White Beans Sausage And Duck Recipes

SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Wash the beans well and put them in a large stockpot. Add water to the beans to cover by 2 inches and set over high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover and let stand 1 hour.*
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the duck sausage on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. The sausage will not be fully cooked through.
• Add the whole onion, whole carrot, 2 of the thyme sprigs and 3 of the bay leaves to the beans. Add more water to the pot to cover again by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are mostly tender but with still a little bite to them, about 50 to 60 minutes. The beans will have soaked up all most all of the liquid you cooked them in.
• Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook stirring every now and then until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the crispy bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate and reserve. To the same skillet, add the diced onion, sliced carrots and garlic and sweat the mixture for 20 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
• Slice the duck sausage on the bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces and add them to the vegetable mix. Add the remaining bay leaves, thyme sprigs and sliced kielbasa and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Next add the wine, beef broth, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and lower the heat. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the whole onion and carrot from the beans, add the vegetable sausage mixture to the stockpot and return to a low heat. Stir well and cover. Let the cassoulet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until most of the wine mixture has been absorbed by the beans. Spoon into a casserole dish, sprinkle the top of each serving with some of the reserved crispy bacon and serve with a crusty baguette on the side.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.

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.