Duck Cassoulet

Name: Duck Cassoulet
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 45 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 4 serves
Ingredients: 2 Duck Legs (500g total); 1 tbs Olive Oil; 2 Onions; 4 Garlic Cloves; 250g Bockwurst; 500g Chicken Stock; 1/4 cup Red Wine; 1 tbs Sherry Vinegar; 400g Canned Cherry Tomatoes; 1 or 2 Bay Leaf(s); 1/2 tsp Hot Smoked Paprika; 400g Canned Cannellini Beans; 1 tbs Fresh Oregano Leaves; 4 tbs Butter; 4 tbs Wholemeal Breadcrumbs; 4 tbs Parmesan Cheese

A Cassoulet (pronounced ka.su.le) is a dish originating from the south of France which is a rich, slow-cooked casserole, most often made with duck.

John DrummondWritten 12 July 2017

A white casserole of cassoulet under a golden crumb, a spoonful taken to show the beans — Photographed in JD’s kitchen

Prep15min

Cook2hr 45min

All up3hr

Serves4

LevelMedium

The inspiration for this dish came from a winery I visited in the McLaren Vale wine region near my home last weekend. The dish was served with a red wine tasting flight and was very nice. Like anything I taste when I’m out and about I thought I could do better, and I believe I have achieved that with this recipe. I substituted some spicy chorizo for a milder Bockwurst to retain the flavour of the duck, as well as adding some cherry tomatoes. This is one of the few dishes I have made that contains no salt or pepper – it’s simply not required!

The method

Thirteen moves.

Duck, Cook
Place your French oven over a medium heat, add the olive oil and brown the duck legs on both sides. This should take around 10 minutes. If using confit duck, include the packaged duck fat.
Duck, Remove
Remove the duck from the French oven as well as all but 1 tablespoon of the oil / duck fat mixture. We wont be using the excess, but you can keep it to make some yummy duck-fat potato chips (silly if you don't really).
Onions, Cook
Lower the heat, and add the diced onions. Fry for around 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the onions become soft. Add the diced garlic and the Bockwurst and fry for another 5-8 minutes. You can turn up the heat a bit at this stage and try and get some brown into the Bockwurst.
Duck, Return
Return the duck to the French oven. Add the red wine and sherry vinegar and bring to the boil. Briefly reduce for 1-2 minutes while stirring.
Stock, Add
Add the stock, cherry tomatoes (with the juice), bay leaf(s) and the paprika. Simmer for around 5 minutes.
Oven, Cook
Place the lid on your French oven and transfer to a preheated oven @ 130 degrees (middle shelf). Set a timer for 2 hours. This is a good time for a wine or 2 :-) The pictured bottle is from the winery that gave inspiration to this recipe.
Bones, Remove
Carefully remove the duck legs from the French oven with some tongs. Remove all of the bones and break the duck meat into small pieces - although at this stage the duck meat should be falling off the bone. Set aside the duck meat for the next step.
Reduce
Return the French oven to the stove top and over a high heat, reduce the liquid by around half. This should take about 10 minutes or so.
Beans, Add
Turn down the heat and return the duck to the French oven. Add the beans (drained and washed first) as well as the fresh herbs. Heat through and put the lid on to keep warm.
Topping, Make
Heat the butter in a small pot. Once fully melted, remove from the heat and combine with breadcrubs and parmesan. Mix well.
Ramekins, Construct
Add the duck mixture to 4 x ramekins, leaving a little space at the top for the breadcrumb parmesan topping. Using a spoon evenly devide the topping between the ramekins. Using the base of the spoon, create an even layer of the breadcrumb parmesan mixture over the top of the duck mixture. For the gluten-free version, just add the parmesan.
Grill
Grill (broil) the ramekins in the oven on an upper shelf until the breadcrumb mixture has browned and become crusty. Around 5-10 minutes.
Plate
To serve add a sprinkle more of the fresh herbs and enjoy.