cassoulet.md

Whole Duck Cassoulet from Scratch

Pairs well with Côtes du Rhône or Malbec

Ingredients

Qty	Ingredient
1	Whole Duck
1/2 c.	Breadcrumbs
8 oz.	Bacon, sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 slices (6 oz.)	Pancetta, approx 1/2" thick each
1 lb.	Great Northern Beans, picked-over, soaked, and drained
-	EVOO
-	Kosher salt
12	Fresh thyme sprigs
2	Shallots, sliced
1 small bunch	Parsley, chopped
1 tsp.	Whole Cloves
3	Bay leaves
1/2 tsp.	Ground cayenne pepper
-	Medium/coarse ground black pepper
8	Garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c.	Minced garlic
1	Large carrot, halved and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2	Ribs celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 medium	Yellow onions, diced
1 lb.	Garlic sausage (Toulouse or alternative), sliced into 1 1/2-to-2-inch chunks
4 c.	Chopped tomatoes
3/4 c.	Dry white wine
3 tbsp.	Tomato paste
1/4 c.	Vegetable oil
1 tbsp.	White wine vinegar
-	Water

Steps

Preparing the Duck

Be sure to reserve any cut-away portions, including skin, fat, neck, and giblets (your dog loves the giblets, I promise). Do not discard any portion of the duck.

0. Remove any giblets from the cavity of the duck and cut the neck from the body, if attached.
1. Place whole duck on a large cutting board, breast side up. Using a sharp knife (preferably a boning knife), cut away breasts from the breast bone and ribs, detaching the breasts from the leg quarters once the breasts are cut away from the bones.
2. Cut the legs from the thighs at the knee joints.
3. Cut the thighs at the hip joint.
4. Cut the wings off in their entirety from the shoulder joint.
5. Collect any skin and excess fat from all cut-up pieces of the duck, reserving them in a bowl for later use, starting by removing all skin from the legs, thighs, breasts, and wings, then trimming any obvious fat from all pieces, including the remaining body carcass.
6. Reserve and refrigerate the carcass for later use.
7. Score duck breasts only in a crosshatch pattern. Liberally sprinkle duck pieces with salt, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour to dry-brine them (this will allow more of the marinade—added next—to be drawn into the meat).
8. In a separate container, whisk together vegetable oil, vinegar, 1/2 c. water, 1/4 c. minced garlic, 6 sprigs of thyme, and shallot.
9. Pour marinade over container of refrigerated duck. Allow to marinate, refrigerated, overnight or—at the very least—2 hours.

Duck Stock

0. Preheat oven to 350℉. Place 3 tbsp. olive oil into a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
1. Add duck skin only to pot and reduce heat to a simmer, allowing the fat to slowly render from the skin.
2. Once rendered, strain fat into a separate container. Return 2 tbsp. of the rendered fat to the stock pot and return to heat. Reserve remaining fat for the later use making duck confit (steps in next section).
3. Place tomato paste into pot with fat, ensuring paste mixes consistently into oil as mixture heats.
4. When oil and tomato paste are heated, add duck carcass and any bones to pot, browning slightly, turning to ensure each side is browned.
5. Remove stock pot from heat. Transfer stock pot contents (including carcass), carrot, 1/4 onion, celery, and remanining reserved skin, fat, and neck (do not add giblets) to a roasting pan (without rack). Place pan in oven.
6. Roast until well-browned, about 45 minutes, turning twice (every 15 minutes) to ensure even browning.
7. Transfer entire contents of roasting pan back to stock pot. Add 1 gallon water, 2 tbsp. parsley, and 1 bay leaf. Bring just to a boil over high heat.
8. Reduce heat to a simmer, disturbing and stirring as little as possible to allow foam to reach the top of the water. Continue simmering for up to 3 hours, skimming occasionally, and adding liberal amounts of water to appropriately "wash" the flavor and nutrients of the skin and bones into the stock.
9. Turn off heat. Allow contents to cool enough to be contained. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

Duck Confit

0. Withhold duck breasts when making confit. Breasts are better served medium-rare.
1. Place reserved fat into a saute pan over medium heat.
2. With an oil thermometer, allow the fat to reach, but not surpass, 190℉. Add duck pieces in a single layer (do not overcrowd), not including herbs, and 1 tbsp. chopped garlic, reserving the rest of the chopped garlic for the cassoulet (steps following).
3. Allow the temperature to once again reach 190℉, reducing heat when necessary. Cook until duck meat is tender, about 1 hour to an hour and 30 minutes. If the fat does not cover the duck pieces completely, turn them over every 20 minutes or so.
4. Remove from heat. If not preparing cassoulet immediately, refrigerate. If immediately preparing cassoulet, remove duck from fat, reserving all but 3 tbsp. of fat (which will be used for cooking duck breasts) for later use, reusing the same pan for cooking the duck breasts. Freeze the reserved fat for use in cooking other dishes (duck fat is a remarkably clean oil, and the addition of the cooked duck flavor is spectacular for cooking potatoes and other dishes).

Cassoulet

0. Place 6 sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, and cloves into a spice bag or tied cheesecloth (bouquet garni).
1. Place pancetta slices flat in a large pot over medium heat, allowing to cook until fat is sufficiently rendered, about 5 minutes.
2. Add bacon to the pan and cook until slightly crisp but not completely cooked through.
3. Add onion and 1/4 c. chopped garlic to pot, allowing to brown slightly.
4. Add sausage chunks to the pot, stirring frequently, allowing sausage to brown without cooking all the way through.
5. Add 2 quarts duck stock, 1 quart water, chopped tomatoes, parsley, and bouquet garni. Salt to taste. Increase heat to bring just to a boil.
6. While liquid is heating, add rinsed beans and peeled garlic cloves.
7. Once nearly boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally and skimming foam from top every once in a while. In order to thicken the mixture, it may help to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot occasionally once they're tender enough to do so. If liquid evaporates too quickly, add more duck stock as needed to keep the consistency as surrounded by liquid, but not swimming/thin.
8. Preheat oven to 375℉. Transfer entire contents of pot to a large roasting pan or casserole pan. Stir in wine. Rest duck confit on top.
9. Bake for 1 hour.
10. Remove pan, remove duck pieces and stir in cayenne pepper, adding the duck pieces back in afterward.
11. Cook for an additional 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are tender, but not mushy, stirring as necessary and adding more duck stock if the mixture begins to dry.
12. Remove the pan from the oven and set oven to broil (high). Remove and discard bouquet garni. Stir entire mixture and allow to rest, uncovered, until duck breasts are complete (steps below).

Duck Breasts

0. In a medium saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of duck fat over just-high heat. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, cooking until garlic is just fragrant.
1. Place duck breasts in the pan at least 2 inches apart to prevent overcrowding and to ensure even cooking. Sear duck breasts on both sides.
2. Once duck is generously-browned, remove from heat and allow to rest 3-4 minutes. Slice into 1-inch strips against the grain.

Finishing Steps

0. Place duck breast slices atop cassoulet mixture.
1. Coat the top of the mixture and duck with breadcrumbs. Do not stir after adding breadcrumbs.
2. Return the pan into the oven (set to broil), uncovered. Allow the bread crumbs time to crisp and the duck breast to finish cooking to medium-rare under the broiler.
3. Remove the pan from the stove. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve bowls of the cassoulet—with a duck piece added in each bowl—adding a small piece of parsley to the top as garnish.