[LINK] slow roast lamb

[grove at zeta.org.au]

On Tue, 5 Aug 2008, Pilcher, Fred wrote:

> Bernard wrote:
>
>> My apologies, a confusion of email addresses.
>
> Au contrair - that's probably the first post to LINK that we can all
> agree on! Can't wait to try it out on the weekend.
>
> Rachel - how about your recipes for cassoulet and duck confit? :-)


My cassoulet recipe is exactly the one in Rick Stein's "French Odyssey" 
cookbook.    It's the simplest recipe I have seen yet, so I will post it here.

I had to make a couple of substitutions, because I was not able to 
find Toulouse sausages, which are made with a combination of smoked 
and fresh meat, so I just use very good quality sausages instead.

My duck confit is very simple, but you have to do it right.

There are only 2 of us, so I only make it in small batches so it doesn't 
go off.

Anyway, I get 2-4 good quality duck maryland pieces and pat them dry all over.
Then I make a salt rub using rock salt, fresh rosemary and thyme and 
a whole head of garlic.   I rub down the pieces with the mix, coating 
well and then leave to set overnight in the fridge.

Next day, well when I make it I do it at about 3am, I clean off all the 
salt rub and pat the legs dry once more, being sure to remove all the 
moisture.   You'll see a lot of moisture in the bottom of the dish.
It is essential to ensure the legs are totally dry.

Next I get some duck fat, about 1kg or so, enough to cover. 
I render this down until it is quite clear, completely melted but 
at a very low temperature so it is not frying.    On my stove top 
this is setting "1" and I use a heavy cast iron pot for the job.

Then I heat the oven to about 120-150C, which is very low indeed. 
I put the legs into the melted fat and cook them in the oven at
the lowest temp such that the fat is barely even making bubbles. 
You are not frying the legs at this point, just poaching them 
in the fat.  If it is "simmering" - it's too hot.   But you must ensure
that the duck is cooked right through to the bone.

After 3-4 hours, I remove the legs to a suitable storage container 
and let cool.   Then I pour the fat over the top of it all, filling 
the container and being certain to remove all the air bubbles 
so that the preserve will work and the meat does not go off.

Let stand and cool and place in the back of the fridge, for a minimum
of 3 days and for up to 10 weeks.    I like to leave my confit for 
about 6 weeks to cure.  If it is done correctly, when you take the 
legs out of the fat for cooking there should be rich smell, not any sort 
of rankness or it hasn't been done right.

The next bit is to make the cassoulet, which I will paste in here.
But the main substitution is the salt pork and the sausages. 
If you cannot get salt pork french style, I just make it with pork belly
using the same sort of spice rub as for the confit, but adding a few 
fennel seeds.   I also sometimes put a pig's trotter in to make 
it extra special.  You may also substitute Haricot beans for 
cannelini or Great Northern beans....

Here's Rick Stein's Cassoulet, which is very fattening, so I only 
do it twice a year:

Cassoulet

by Rick Stein
from Rick Stein's French Odyssey

Classically French, Rick Stein's substantial winter dish is a one-pot meal 
that's a real crowd pleaser, especially on a blustery day

Servings: 8
Level of difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
500g salted pork belly
65g duck fat, or goose fat
1 head Garlic , broken into cloves, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1kg dried white haricot beans, soaked overnight
1 large bouquet garni, made from leek, celery, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and 
parsley stalks
6 good-quality Toulouse sausages
4 legs duck confit, cut into 2 at the joint

Method
1. Cut the piece of belly pork lengthways into 3 thick slices, 
then cut each piece across into two. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

2. Heat 50g of the duck fat in a 6-litre flameproof casserole dish. Add the 
garlic and onion and fry gently until soft but not browned. Add the beans 
and the pieces of salted belly pork, cover with 1.75 litres water and push in 
the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum as it rises to the 
surface, then cover, transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour or until 
the beans are just tender - this will depend on the age of your beans.

3. Heat the remaining duck fat in a frying pan and brown the sausages all 
over. Lift them onto a board and slice each one sharply on the diagonal into 
3 pieces.

4. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and increase the oven temperature 
to 220C/gas 7. Add the sausages and the pieces of duck confit to the casserole 
and push them down well into the beans. Return the casserole to the 
oven and bake uncovered for a further 45 minutes or until the liquid has 
reduced and the cassoulet is covered in a dark golden crust. 
Serve straight from the pot at the table.

....

I try to use as little fat as possible, since it is such a rich dish.

I have also learnt to make the Brazilian/Portuguese version "fejoida" 
which is also delicious.  Sourcing the right sort of ingredients is 
the hard bit, especially in Penrith.   Next step is to learn to 
cook "Potee aux choux", which is a kind of cabbage hotpot.

Cooking is what I do when I am not doing computers, or music, to 
exercise the other half of my brain!


rachel

-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia
grove at zeta.org.au                http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html
 		The price of greatness is responsibility.