White Bean Soup With Duck Confit Recipes

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.

DUCK, FRESH SHRIMP AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. Season the duck pieces with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, sear the duck, fat side down for about 4 to 6 minutes. Turn over the duck and continue to sear for 4 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and celery to the pan. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Saute the vegetables until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and continue to saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, bay leaves, and garlic. Add the duck stock, water and fresh thyme. Place the duck pieces back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and skim off any cloudy scum that has risen to the service. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally or until the meat and beans are tender. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pot and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and curl their tails in completely. Reseason if necessary and stir in the green onions and parsley. Ladle into serving bowls and serve with crusty bread.

WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Quick-soak beans by putting them in cold water to cover by 2 inches in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover, then soak 1 hour. Drain, discarding liquid.
• Remove skin and bones from duck legs, reserving both, then coarsely shred meat.
• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook reserved bones, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and cloves, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add drained beans, broth, water, and tomatoes and simmer, partially covered, stirring and skimming froth occasionally, until beans are tender, about 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice reserved skin, then lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook in a dry medium nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring to separate, until fat is rendered and skin is crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves, bones, and thyme from soup. Transfer 2 cups solids and 1 cup liquid from soup to a blender and blend until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to soup. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm, covered.
• Heat Armagnac in a small saucepan over low heat just until warm, then carefully ignite with a kitchen match (use caution; flames will shoot up). When flames subside, stir Armagnac into soup along with meat, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with crisp skin.