Duck Cassoulet Recipe (Cassoulet de Canard)
This Duck Cassoulet Recipe is slow-cooked beans with vegetables baked with duck confit and sausage for an unbelievable meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound great Northern beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or duck fat
- 1 pound pork belly, cut into 1” cubes
- 4 pork sausages
- 1 large peeled medium-diced yellow onion
- 1 large or 2 medium peeled medium-diced carrots
- 2 medium-diced ribs of celery
- 10 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 4-5 parsley stems and leaves
- 8-0 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 duck confit legs
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cover the beans in a container with 4 to 6 inches of cold water. Cover and let them sit for 12 to 24 hours or overnight.
- Add oil or duck fat to a large Dutch oven pot over medium-low heat.
- Place in the pork and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned and some of the fat has been rendered. Set them to the side on a plate or bowl.
- Add the sausages, turn the heat to medium, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. They do not need to be cooked through. Set them aside.
- Stir in the onions and cook over low to medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes or until well browned. Come back and stir them every 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook just until it becomes fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
- Next, stir in the tomatoes and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Deglaze with white wine and cook until most of it has been absorbed into the vegetables. There may be a few tablespoons left, which is fine.
- Strain the beans and add them to the pot with lightly browned pork, chicken stock, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour or just until tender.
- Remove the lid and place in the sausage and duck confit by slightly pressing them through the beans and vegetables so they are not all sitting on the top.
- Bake in the oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours at 375° on a rack in the lower third section.
- Serve in the pot or separately in bowls.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten once it is finished cooking. However, keep it warm over very low simmering heat for 1 hour before serving.
How to Store: Cover and store the duck cassoulet in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can cover it and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of duck confit to a rondeau or saucepot with ½ to ¾ cup of chicken stock and heat in the oven at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until hot.
Canned beans are not an option for this recipe.
Another classic ingredient would be to add 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs tossed in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkled on top before baking the duck cassoulet.
I used an 8-quart enameled iron Dutch oven pot.
You can cover the beans with boiling water and let them sit for 1 hour if soaking them overnight is not an option.
Fond will collect on top of the cassoulet in the oven. If it collects quickly, you can come back every 30 minutes and gently fold it back into the mixture, as it will add an incredible amount of umami flavors to your cassoulet.
Nutrition
Calories: 855kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 47gFat: 61gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 748mgPotassium: 785mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1494IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 5mg