This is a French apple chicken sausage and duck cassoulet. Oui ... oui ... It is similar to one you might expect to be served at the Brasserie de I'Ise St. Louis, a sidewalk cafe located near the Notre Dame Cathedral, on the I'lsle de la Cite, in Paris. Now, don't be concerned, this is an easy casserole for you to make. I made this cassoulet for a Friday evening dinner.
Shopping Information:
Whole Foods, gourmet grocery, and some large supermarkets sell apple chicken sausages. You can substitute another sausage if you can't find apple chicken sausage where you live.
Whole Foods and large supermarkets sell frozen split duck breast. Ask a meat department employee to show you where to find them. You'll also need to look for duck fat (or just use butter). I found duck fat in the dairy case, next to butter, at A Southern Season. You should be able to find duck fat in a local gourmet store. Do try to find duck as the taste is worth the search. Use leftover duck butter when baking other poultry dishes, for example, to rub a chicken cavity before baking the chicken.
Ingredients:
- 3 large apple chicken sausages (or other sausage, like a Polish kielbasa)
- 1 duck breast, split (you can easily find frozen duck breast)
- 4 strips of bacon, fried crisp (try apple smoked bacon)
- 1/2 cup onions, chopped fine
- 2-4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 additional Tablespoons of duck fat (or butter)
- 2 cans white cannellini beans
- 1 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- A bouquet garni. Put a couple of parsley sprigs, 4 whole cloves, 2 -3 sprigs of thyme, and 2 bay leaves on a piece of cheesecloth. Bring the corners of the cheesecloth together and use kitchen string to tie the resulting bag shut.
- 1 glass, plus a splash, of red wine (optional). You might wish to sip a little wine while making this beautiful cassoulet, and if the dish gets a little drier than you would like for it to be, add a splash to the cassoulet and stir it in.
- Cooking spray
Are you ready? Let's go for it!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Instructions:
1. Put the sausage and 1/4 inch of water in a Teflon skillet. Turn the burner to medium high. Occasionally turn the sausage. Cook the sausage until all of the water has disappeared. Set the sausage aside to cool. Wipe out the skillet to use it again in step 2.
2. Melt 2 Tablespoons of duck fat over medium heat. Lay both halves of the duck breast, skin side down, and cook this side of the breasts halves for 12-15 minutes. Turn the breast halves over with the skin side up and cook the breast halves for 6 more minutes. Check the breast halves for doneness. They should still be slightly pink in the center. Set the duck meat aside. Wipe the skillet out to use it again step 3.
3. Fry bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp on both sides. When the bacon is done, drain the strips on a paper towel and set the bacon aside. Wipe the skillet with paper towels and prepare to use it again in step 4.
4. Melt 2 Tablespoons of duck fat in the skillet over medium heat. Put the onions in the skillet and saute them until they are translucent. Add the celery and continue sauteing the vegetables until the celery is tender. Add the garlic and continue sauteing the vegetables for 1 minute. Set the vegetables aside.
5. Open both cans of beans and drain the beans in a colander to remove the liquid.
6. Meanwhile, cut the duck, sausage, and bacon to 1/2 inch pieces.
7. In a large mixing bowl gently combine the vegetables, beans, and meats. Add the contents of the can of tomatoes and gently combine the tomatoes and juice into the ingredients.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Lightly spray cooking oil on the sides and bottom of a cassoulet or casserole dish.
10. Spoon the ingredients into the cassoulet or casserole baking dish. Bury the bouquet garni in the center of the ingredients.
11. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour. Remove it from the oven. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Remove the garni bag. Gently stir the cassoulet and then take it to the table.
Serve the cassoulet with rustic artisan bread and butter, a fresh salad, and your choice of beverage.
When in Paris, it is nice to have a room with a view! Here is a picture I took from a room in Paris.
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