Cassoulet - Day 3

Take the beans, drain them, and save the liquid.  Toss out the onion and herbs. Cut the pork belly up into 2" cubes and reserve.

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp duck fat
12 pork sausage (breakfast size links*)
3 sliced onions
1/4 pound salt pork, cubed
1 clove garlic, crushed

Heat a bit of the duck fat and brown the sausages. Add the rest of the 1/4 cup of fat and fry the onion and garlic until soft.  Blend the cooked onion-garlic and salt pork into a paste.

Remove from the frig the confited duck legs in fat. Reheat the confit and remove the legs. Store the duck fat for future use. Collect the jelly for duck stock.

Assemble the mess:

Using a 8 quart dutch oven. Put a layer of beans on the bottom, add the sausages, another layer of beans, a layer of pork belly, more beans, duck legs, and cover with beans. Add enough liquid to cover the beans. Stick the mess into a 350 F oven for 1 hour and then lower the temperature to 250 F for another hour. Remove and cool.

UPDATE: Tossed it back in a 350 oven at 3:00 and let it heat until dinner. It was amazingly rich. Another once a year dish. (I've decided I love duck fat.)

UPDATE 2: The confit jelly, or as we call it "essence of duck," is a bit solid. This is it after warming to RT. Gonna make a great stock!

 

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Comments

  • 12/17/2007 3:51 PM Anna wrote:
    ::sob::
    I have a recipe for cassoulet too, that I cautiously looked at and decided not to even touch. Maybe if Russ ever takes up stone mining. But we'll have roast geese for Christmas dinner!
    Reply to this
    1. 12/20/2007 6:02 PM technogypsy wrote:
      You could make him take up ultra-marathons...you know 100 mile races? That should work
      Reply to this
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