so now i have cassoulet for days! as i did everything the long way, this took about four days to complete, i'll go through the different stages.. but let me start with: its so good and worth every step!
-BEANS! as i mentioned earlier, i soaked dried white beans (the cannellini kind) overnight with water covering. the next day, i stewed the beans in stock with lots of chopped onions, garlic cloves, a bouquet of herbs- parsley and rosemary- that's what i had. and also tossed in some dried thyme, crushed red flakes, a few cloves, quite a bit of salt and pepper. it took about two hours for the beans to be soft and flavorful.
-DUCK CONFIT! the next day i walked my self over to findlay market in hopes of finding somebody selling duck. i'd only ever bought duck at jungle jims and i've been trying to stay closer to home lately... so i was very please when i checked in with my old culinary school bud at luken's poultry fish and seafood stand. he hooked a girl up with the whole bird. i got home with it and butchered it into breasts, legs and wings. roasted the chunks. i guess technically not a confit- as i didn't use supplementary duck fat, but i'll tell you that the bird gave off a huge amount on its own and was quickly cooking away in a very clear, pungent fat. yum. made duck stock of the cavity, bones, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, herbs. reserved the fat. (breakfast today was red potatoes roasted in the duck fat. genius) after cooking and cooling, i chopped the breasts into smaller chunks and added to the beans.
-SAUSAGE! used a nice sausage that turned out to be pretty full of fennel, which i think is a wonderful quality in sausage. cooked them in the oven along side the duck. after cooling, i chopped and added to the beans.
-CASSEROLE! ladled the beans, sausage and duck into a casserole. topped with breadcrumbs- which deserve their own section. so easy and going to be a part of every casserole i ever make from now on:
-BREADCRUMBS!!! warmed duck fat on the stovetop. lightly toasted about 3 cloves of garlic. then i added about 3 c. of breadcrumbs. the loaf of bread i was working with was soooo stale that i was able to just shave off crumbs. added those to the garlic and fat and browned. seasoned with lots of salt, pepper, flakes and fresh chopped parsley.
with everything assembled in the dish, it just took about one hour at 350 to bake this guy to perfection. so rich and hearty and perfect for winter. wonderful side effects- stock and leftovers.
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