FRENCH PORK AND WHITE BEAN CASSEROLE (CASSOULET) WITH DUCK CONFIT

By LaLaCooks

Published November 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.

The two components of this recipe, the confit and the stew, are cooked simultaneously. In order for the confit and stew to finish cooking at the same time (step 7), start cooking the confit (step 3) and then wait about 1 1/2 hours before starting the stew (step 4). The cooked confit, covered with fat, will last up to one month. Three turkey drumsticks can be substituted for the duck legs. We prefer the duck confit prepared with duck fat, but canola oil can be substituted. We prefer to brine the beans overnight, but if you are pressed for time you can quick brine them. Instead of combining the salt, water, and beans in a large container in step 2, place them in a large Dutch oven and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe as directed. If you cant find fresh French garlic sausage, Irish bangers or Bratwurst may be substituted.

Ingredients

• Duck Confit
• 1/4 cup table salt
• 1 large onion , peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 medium garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 12 parsley stems , with leaves attached
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 duck legs (see note)
• 4 cups duck fat (see note)
• Bean Stew
• Table salt
• 1 pound dried cannellini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over
• 2 medium celery ribs
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 pound fresh garlic sausage (see note)
• 1/4 pound salt pork , rinsed of excess salt
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound pork shoulder , cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 4 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
• Ground black pepper
• 4 large slices high-quality white sandwich bread , torn into rough pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the Confit: Process salt, onion, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaves in food processor until smooth paste with some small chunks forms, about 30 seconds, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. Massage duck legs with salt mixture and place in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and place in refrigerator 12 to 18 hours

2. For the Stew: Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 3 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature, 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.

3. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse duck legs under cold running water, rubbing off any salt mixture. Pat legs dry with paper towels. Heat duck fat in large saucepan over medium heat until completely transparent (if using canola oil, it should register about 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer). Add duck legs, making sure they are completely submerged in fat. Transfer pot to oven and cook until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork, 3 to 4 hours.

4. Using kitchen twine, tie together celery, bay leaf, and thyme, and set aside. Place sausage and salt pork in medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Transfer sausages to cutting board, allow to cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove salt pork from water; set aside.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add sausage pieces and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to medium bowl. Add pork shoulder and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Return sausage to Dutch oven; add white wine, using wooden spoon to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook until slightly reduced, about 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes, celery bundle, and reserved salt pork.

6. Stir in broth and beans, pressing beans into even layer. If any beans are completely exposed, add up to 1 cup water to submerge (beans may still break surface of liquid). Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are tender, about 1 hours.

7. Remove confit and stew from oven and increase temperature to 350 degrees. Using slotted spoon, transfer duck legs to large plate and cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin from duck legs and discard. Remove meat from bones, leaving meat in large pieces; discard bones. Meanwhile, remove celery bundle and salt pork from bean stew and discard. (Alternatively, dice salt pork and return to stew.) Using large spoon or ladle, skim fat from surface of stew and discard. Adjust seasoning of stew with salt and pepper. Add duck meat and stir gently to combine. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, pulse bread and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in food processor until crumbs are no larger than 1/8 inch, eight to ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl, add parsley, and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9. Sprinkle 1/2 cup bread-crumb mixture evenly over casserole; bake, covered, 15 minutes. Remove lid and bake 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle remaining bread-crumb mixture over top of casserole and bake until topping is golden brown and beans are bubbling around edges of pot, about 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.


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Videos
French Pork and White Bean Casserole
How to Make Duck Confit
STEP-BY-STEP
Achieving a Crisp Crust
After baking the casserole for 1 1/2 hours to perfect flavor and bean texture, here's how to create just the right crust.

1. BAKE UNCOVERED
Remove celery bundle and salt pork; return pot to oven, uncovered.


2. ADD CRUMBS; COVER
Bake, covered, 15 minutes to allow crumbs to form cohesive "raft."


3. BAKE UNCOVERED
Uncover and bake 15 minutes more to dry raft so it can support more crumbs.


4. ADD MORE CRUMBS; CRISP
Add remaining crumbs and bake until crisp.

STEP-BY-STEP
Cooking Tender, Flavorful French Pork and Beans

1. BRINE
Soak beans overnight in salt solution for tender texture.


2. BLANCH
Blanch salt pork (to remove excess salt) and sausage (to help firm up).


3. BROWN
Brown sausage, remove; brown pork shoulder, carrots, and onion.


4. FLAVOR
Return sausage and add wine. Stir in tomatoes, aromatics, salt pork, broth, and beans.


5. BAKE
Bake, covered, 1 1/2 hours, until beans are creamy and full of meaty flavor.