Cassoulet

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This hearty, meat-studded dish from southwestern France is the ultimate one-pot meal. A slow-simmered mix of beans, pork sausages, pork shoulder, pancetta, and duck, the cassoulet takes its name from the earthenware dish in which it was traditionally made. The crisped bread crumb crust atop this version contrasts appealingly with the hearty stew beneath. Oh, I wish I were in France at Perrot right now!

Ingredients
1 lb. dried great northern beans
10 tbsp. duck fat
16 cloves garlic, smashed
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped

2 large ham hocks

1 lb. pork shoulder, cut into 1"cubes
1⁄2 lb. pancetta, cubed

4 sprigs oregano

4 sprigs thyme

3 bay leaves
1 cup whole peeled canned tomatoes

1 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth
4 confit duck legs
1 lb. pork sausages
2 cups bread crumbs

Procedure
Soak beans in a 4-qt. bowl in 7 1⁄2 cups water overnight. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic, onions, and carrots and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add ham hocks along with beans and their water and boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Transfer ham hocks to a plate; let cool. Pull off meat; discard skin, bone, and gristle. Chop meat; add to beans. Set aside. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown for 8 minutes. Add pancetta; cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, onions, and carrots; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Tie together oregano, thyme, and bay leaves with twine; add to pan with tomatoes; cook until liquid thickens, 8–10 minutes. Add wine; reduce by half. Add broth; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until liquid has thickened, about 1 hour.

Discard herbs; set dutch oven aside. Meanwhile, sear duck legs in 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Brown sausages in the fat, about 8 minutes. Cut sausages into 1⁄2" slices. Pull duck meat off bones. Discard fat and bones. Stir duck and sausages into pork stew. Heat oven to 300˚. Mix beans and pork stew in a 4-qt. earthenware casserole. Cover with bread crumbs; drizzle with remaining duck fat. Bake, uncovered, for 3 hours. Raise oven temperature to 400˚; cook cassoulet until crust is golden, about 5 minutes. Eat, drink, nap.

Honey Lacquered Duck Breast

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love duck. And now that you can buy boneless duck breasts all over town, you should think about adding them to your list of quick and elegant entrees. And to dispel a myth — duck is not fatty, the fat is in the skin and you can remove it if you don't want to eat it. But cooking it with the skin makes it super yummy. Serve with a nice rice dish and a green veg and elegant dinner is served.

Ingredients
2 boneless duck breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Optional garnish of chopped nuts

Procedure
Cut small slits in the skin side of the duck breast, without slicing all the way into the flesh. Season the duck on both sides with the salt and pepper. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the duck breasts, skin side down, for 7 minutes, reducing the heat to medium-low after 3 minutes. Flip the duck breasts over and cook them for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover it with foil to retain warmth.

Pour the rendered duck fat into a clean container and save it for other culinary uses. Turn the heat up to medium and deglaze the skillet with the honey and balsamic vinegar, scraping up the browned bits as the sauce cooks. Simmer the honey vinegar glaze for 2 to 3 minutes, until it turns slightly thick. Season it with just a dash of salt.

Return the duck breasts to the pan, turning them a few times to coat them evenly with the honey glaze. Carve them and serve them immediately, garnished with a drizzle of extra glaze and the chopped nuts, if desired. This makes 6 servings.

Roast Duck with Two Sauces

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Roast duck is one of the easiest dishes to prepare. It comes out best if you cook it twice, so serving it to company is a no-brainer. Remember to save the fat, it's one of the best fats to cook in and it will keep in your freezer.

Ingredients
4 5-pound whole ducks (I like Maple Leaf)
Salt and pepper

Procedure
Rinse ducks well inside and out and dry then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take a fork and poke holes all over to help let the fat out. Preheat the oven to 375. Place ducks in roasting pan, and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool and cut in half. Tear out the rib bones and remove the backbone. When it’s time to serve, place duck halves in roasting pan in 400 degree oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Cherry Cassis sauce

Ingredients
2 cups cherry juice
1 12-ounce jar sour cherries (drain and save liquid)
1/2 cup Orange juice
1/2 cup Cassis (black currant brandy)
1/4 cup Honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Procedure
Combine cherry juice, liquid from cherries and orange juice and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Add Cassis and honey and taste. Now add the cornstarch mix and cook 3 minutes. Toss in the whole cherries at the end.

Orange Tangerine Sauce

Ingredients
2 cups tangerine juice
2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons Grand Manier or Triple Sec
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Procedure
Combine tangerine and orange juice in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat 15 minutes. Add the orange marmalade and the Triple Sec and cook for 3 minutes. Add the water and cornstarch mix to thicken and cook 3 minutes more.

Duck with Walnut Sherry Vinaigrette

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here is a great, simple, and fast recipe. It’s a basic procedure for cooking skin on boneless duck breasts. Duck is easy, elegant, and actually not very fatty.

Ingredients
2 boneless duck breast halves, with skin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped

Procedure
Put a 13 by 9-inch shallow flameproof roasting pan (not glass) in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Pat duck dry and trim off any excess fat. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern at 1/2-inch intervals with a sharp knife, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place duck, skin sides down, in roasting pan and roast until thermometer inserted diagonally into center registers 135°F (25 to 30 minutes) for medium-rare. Preheat broiler. Turn duck over and broil (skin sides up) 6 inches from heat until fat is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes. (Internal temperature will rise to at least 145°F.)

While duck stands, pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from pan, and save, then add shallots and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add vinegar, along with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, then whisk in oil until combined. Stir in walnuts. Thinly slice duck and serve with vinaigrette drizzled over nice greens.

Cassis

Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Ever since I made my first roast duck with my dad — smothered in Cassis sauce — I have loved the flavor of this French black currant brandy. It is a great flavoring to add to your repertoire. The Brits make a great jellied candy with it, as well as a beverage called Ribena, which they forced the children to drink during the war for extra nutrition because it was high in vitamin C and some other good stuff.

So what is Cassis? Crème de cassis (its formal name) is a beautiful, red, sweet, blackcurrant-flavored liqueur. The black currants are smashed into refined alcohol, with sugar subsequently added. Cassis is one ingredient of a Kir Royal, which is a cocktail made with champagne. While crème de cassis is a specialty of Burgundy, it is made in other cities of France, as well as in Luxembourg and Quebec.

I like to use it in vinaigrettes and sauces. Here is a classic duck recipe and a wonderful ice cream recipe using Cassis. It’s also great in whipped cream, but who isn’t?

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Cassis Compote

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) boneless duck breasts
3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 shallots, minced
1/4 cup crème de Cassis
1/2 cup black currant jam (unsweetened if possible),
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the duck skin-side-up. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits across the skin at a 45 degree angle. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over the meat side of each duck breast.

Heat a well-seasoned skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove pan from heat (save the drippings) and transfer duck breasts, skin side up, to a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 6 minutes.
Carefully discard all but 2 tablespoons of duck drippings from the pan. Return pan to medium heat and add shallots. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes, or until shallots begin to turn golden. Add Cassis to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen up the browned bits left by the duck. Add jam, vinegar, and remaining teaspoon of black pepper, and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove duck from the oven and slice each breast at a 45 degree angle into 1/4-inch-thick strips (properly cooked duck should resemble medium-rare steak). Arrange in a fanlike pattern on a warmed plates and spoon Cassis compote overtop. Serve immediately. Call me!

Cassis Ice cream

Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup red currant glaze
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup Cassis liqueur
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Procedure
Scald the half-and-half in a saucepan. Add currant glaze and stir over medium heat until glaze is dissolved. In a medium-size bowl, beat egg yolks until light and fluffy. Gradually add honey and beat until thick and smooth. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, stirring with a whisk. Beat until well blended. Return mixture to saucepan, place over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and smooth (about 5 to 7 minutes). Cool, and then chill in a freezer for about 10 minutes.

Stir in Cassis and refrigerate until cold. Whip cream and fold into the mixture. Pour into container of ice cream freezer and process until thick and smooth. Spoon into tightly covered container and put into deep freeze to harden.

Amazing Duck Pie

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love duck any way you make it. From a simple roast half duck (bones intact, hopefully with crispy skin), to duck Prosciutto, to duck sausage, I will always try the duck on the menu. Bernice had the duck salad at Max’s a few weeks ago — it seems to run in my family. Even my favorite game as a kid was Duck Duck Goose! So when I found this recipe for Duck Pie in the Loaves and Fishes Party Cookbook, which I bought at the KSFR book sale, I was intrigued. However, they started with a whole duck and removed the meat. I say why not just buy the Maple Leaf boneless duck breasts a save some time. And I also made some other changes, which just made sense to me — well, I am a chef! So here is the recipe.

Ingredients for pastry crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup very cold water

Procedure for pastry crust
Place flour, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor with steel blade a pulse a few times 'til butter appears the size of small peas. Now add lemon juice and cold water and continue to pulse till mixture starts to get clumpy. Remove from mixer and dump onto floured counter. Gather pastry into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Now make duck filling.

Ingredients for filling
2 pounds duck breast meat
1 pound lean pork, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon drained green peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Procedure for filling
Cut the raw duck meat into 1/2 inch pieces, place into a bowl and add the ground pork. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan, add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes over low heat. Now add the garlic and the meat mixture and stir to break up meat lumps. Add chicken stock, Madeira, sage, peppercorns, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Turn up to high heat and cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the sour cream and let cool to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. To assemble the pie, divide the pastry into 2/3 and 1/3. Roll out the larger piece into a 12 inch circle and place in the bottom and up the sides of a buttered and lined, 10-inch springform pan. Spoon meat mix into the bottom of the shell. Roll out remaining dough and place on top where the side pastry ends. It will not fill the pan. Use a fork to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Cut a few slits in the top to let out steam. Now with a fork, whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush the top to create a nice glaze. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 then lower the oven to 350 and bake for 40 minutes more. Let pie cool 30 minutes before serving, so the mixture can set. Serve warm or room temperature. This is worth the effort, trust me!

Easy Peking-style Duck

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
You know Chinese New Year is upon us and you still have time to get in on the celebration. This is the year of the rat — how festive! My friends are making a feast this weekend and splitting up the cooking. I said I would make the Peking duck, which is a traditional part of the meal. Having no idea how to make it, I startied researching the recipe. Apparently to do it the authentic way takes days and all the recipes talked about hanging the duck in a windy place. That just worried me so I found a simplified American version, which works really well, and the flavor is quite authentic. Check it out!

Ingredients
1 large duck, giblets removed
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons peanut oil

Procedure
Bring a pot of water, large enough to hold the duck, to a boil. Remove from heat and plunge duck in the water for 5 minutes. Remove and pat dry.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring just to the boil. Off heat, allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Liberally coat the duck with the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours so that the coating dries out. Place duck on a rack, breast side up in a preheated 350-degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Roast until skin is crisp and brown. Check occasionally and regulate temperature so that the coating does not burn. Serve as part of a great feast!