Whole Duck Cassoulet Recipes

Steps:

• Put the beans in a medium bowl, cover with about 3 inches of water, and soak overnight. Or put the beans in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and soak for 1 hour. Then drain.
• Meanwhile, cut the duck into 8 pieces: 2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 2 wings. Trim off all visible fat and excess skin and set the fat and skin aside. Season the duck pieces and lamb with the salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook the duck fat and skin in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until between 1/4 and 1/3 cup fat is in the pan, about 4 minutes. Remove the solid pieces of fat and skin and discard. Brown the duck in the hot fat on both sides, about 4 minutes per side, and set aside. Brown the lamb, about 4 minutes per side, and set aside. Brown the sausage pieces on all sides, about 3 minutes per side, and set aside.
• Add the onion and celery to the skillet and sauté until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, and cloves and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the beef broth and tomatoes, return to a boil, and remove from the heat.
• To assemble the cassoulet:
• Layer the beans and meats, in alternating layers (4 of beans, 3 of meat), starting and ending with the beans. Pour the liquid over all, cover the cooker, and cook until the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours on low.
• Preheat an oven to 350°F. Mix the breadcrumbs and parsley and scatter over the top of the cassoulet. Transfer the crock with the cassoulet to the oven and bake until the top is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Soak Great Northern beans in water in a large bowl overnight. Drain beans and place into a large soup pot. Push whole clove into the 1/2 onion and add to beans; stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and 10 cups water. Bring beans to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until beans have started to soften, about 1 hour. Drain beans and reserve the cooking liquid, removing and discarding onion with clove and bay leaf. Transfer beans to a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cook bacon in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned and still limp, about 5 minutes. Stir celery, carrots, and 1/2 diced onion into bacon; season with salt. Cook and stir vegetables in the hot bacon fat until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat; brown sausage link halves and duck confit in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Season vegetable-bacon mixture with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cracked black pepper, and herbes de Provence; pour in diced tomatoes. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until juice from tomatoes has nearly evaporated and any browned bits of food on the bottom of pot have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir mixture into beans.
• Spread half the bean mixture into the heavy Dutch oven and place duck-sausage mixture over the beans; spread remaining beans over meat layer. Pour just enough of the reserved bean liquid into pot to reach barely to the top of the beans, reserving remaining liquid. Bring bean cassoulet to a simmer on stovetop and cover Dutch oven with lid.
• Bake bean cassoulet in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add 4 crushed garlic cloves, panko crumbs, and parsley to the melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over crumbs. Stir to thoroughly combine.
• Uncover cassoulet and check liquid level; mixture should still have several inches of liquid. If beans seem dry, add more of the reserved bean liquid. Spread half the crumb mixture evenly over the beans and return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. There should be about 2 or 3 inches of liquid at the bottom of the pot; if mixture seems dry, add more reserved bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining half the bread crumb mixture over cassoulet.
• Turn oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake cassoulet, uncovered, until crumb topping is crisp, edges are bubbling, and the bubbles are slow and sticky, 20 to 25 more minutes. Serve beans on individual plates and top each serving with a piece of duck and several sausage pieces.

Steps:

• In a large casserole dish, brown the duck breasts for about 8 minutes.
• Take the duck breasts out of the casserole.
• Keep 1 tablespoon of the duck fat, and pour away the rest.
• Brown the chicken drumsticks in the casserole dish for about 10 minutes, until they are golden on all sides.
• Take the chicken out of the casserole.
• Put the halved shallots (or chopped onion), crushed garlic and bacon into the casserole, and heat, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Return the duck and chicken to the casserole.
• Add in the drained cannellini beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, chopped herbs and salami.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer it on the stovetop for an hour and a half.
• Instead of on stovetop, you could put it in the oven for an hour and a half at a medium heat. (I think I used 160 degrees C.).
• Season with salt & black pepper.
• I served this with new baby potatoes tossed in butter, french bread and a salad, and added parsnip and turnip mashed together - but then I had 3 more guests than I'd expected!