Cassoulet My Way

I’m having a hard time getting back to reality after the Vue De Monde experience. For the first time in a long time I can honestly say I felt calm and contented after our lunch. We did nothing but eat fine food and drink exceptional wine all afternoon whilst served by super attentive waiters. What really transported me to tranquility wasn’t the idle behavior that consumed the day, but rather, the sense of luxury that VDM conveys. Every detail has an opulent solution at this restaurant- sometimes extravagant, sometimes cheeky but always comfortable. The only problem I find with being exposed to excellence is that nothing else apart from excellence will satisfy.
As much as I would love to eat like that everyday (and trust me, I would if I could), there is no way you or I are able to produce food of the same standard as served by VDM. Unless of course, you were to employ a team of Michelin starred chefs. I don’t know I can afford that so I guess I’ll have to leave “haute cuisine” in restaurants were it belongs and get back to my “cuisine menagere”.
And so what does one cook after having eaten in arguably the best restaurant in Australia? It’s a hard one to decide because I want to still feel confident and competent in the kitchen. I decided it was probably best to not attempt any dish of superior lavishness, and instead go in the completely opposite direction. I’m sticking to rustic, for a while. Or at least until my very over-the- top expectations have worn off.

Ingredients
500g haricot blancs beans, soaked in water for 24 hours
2- 3 tbsp duck fat
250g pork belly, cut into chunks
3 pork and garlic sausages (use a French or Italian style. Keep away from English and “gourmet” sausages. They are wrong in this dish, as lovely as they can be)
2 duck “Maryland”, cut into thigh and leg pieces
½ large red onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped (use the white part only)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250ml rose wine
Fresh bouquet garni made from bay, thyme and parsley
1 star anise
1 litre stock
1-2 tbsp tomato concentrate (optional)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Melt 1- 2 tbsp of duck fat in a large saucepan over a medium high heat.
Brown the pork belly, duck pieces and sausages in batches. Set them aside on a plate.
Lower the heat and add more fat if you think it needs it.
Now you can gently sauté the onions, carrot, celery, leek and garlic for about 15 minutes. Do not allow them to colour- the flavours in this dish are gentle.
Add the wine. Turn the heat to high and allow it to bubble for a minute.
Add the bouquet, star anise, stock, drained beans, pork belly and duck to the pot. Add the tomato concentrate, if you are using that too. The only thing that should not be in the pot at this stage, are the sausages.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. In the meantime cut the sausages into chunks and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Taste and season the beans with a touch of salt and some pepper.
Remove the bouquet.
Ladle the entire contents of the pot into one large baking dish, adding the sausages.
Bake for 1 to 1½ hours or until a brown crust has formed on the beans.
The final result should be tender beans with sufficient liquid to form a tasty, rich sauce and meltingly tender meat.
Sprinkle over with chopped fresh parsley if you like. Serves 4 – 6 people.
This is definitely a dish for the wintertime. It is rich and comforting and perfect for Sunday lunch or dinner. I don’t bother serving anything but bread and wine with this dish- I don’t think it needs it.

Beetroot and Duck Soup

I based this recipe around the famous Russian soup, Borshch. A few months back, I had the idea of combining duck and beetroot for a soup, but I never got around to making it. I made this yesterday because this time of year is appropriate for festve food like this, and if I lived in the northern hemisphere, I probably would serve this for my Christmas Eve entree.
Even though the beetroot is only one ingredient of many, it certainly takes over (and beetroot juicer stains everything). The colour may seem garish and over the top but the flavour is superb!



Ingredients
2 duck marylands
15g butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery heart (the inner tender stalks and leaves from a bunch), chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp mustard powder
1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
1 large beetroot, peeled and grated
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1-2cm dice
Stock to cover
2 tbsp of cider vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh chive
Fresh dill
Horseradish
Crème Fraiche

Method
In a soup pot, heat the oil and butter.
Add the duck pieces and brown over a gentle heat, about 5 minutes each side. Remove to a plate.
Saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger for about 15 minutes, using the fats that are left in the pan.
Add the mustard and cumin and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the apple, beetroot and potato and give everything a good mix.
Cover with stock. Return the duck pieces to the pot and add the vinegar.
Simmer for 1.5 hours or until the duck is tender.
Remove the duck to a pate and allow to cool a little.
At this stage you can puree a small amount of the soup, to give it body.
When the duck is cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Discard the skin and bones.
Add the meat back to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Add more vinegar if you think it needs it.
Simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
Add chopped chives at the end.
Serve in soup bowls, sprinkled over with finely chopped dill and a dollop of crème fraiche mixed with horseradish to taste.
Accompany with rye bread and rocket leaves dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. Makes 4 hearty serves.

Spanish Style Duck

I do not eat duck very often, but I do love it. Roasting whole ducks can be a little tricky to get right, but more on that at a later date. Duck breasts though are quick and easy. The meat is rich and surrounded by an insulating layer of fat. Most of it is rendered during the cooking process. And there will be a substantial amount of fat left over from the cooking. Do not throw it out (duck fat costs about $20 a can from specialty food stores, so think of it as liquid gold) Keep it, like the French do and use it instead of oil. It will keep for a long time, in the fridge. It is delicious. Duck is available from poultry suppliers.

Ingredients
2 duck breasts
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp of Spanish paprika
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 dried chlli, crumbled
½ tsp of dried greek oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley, plus extra to finish
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
A couple of ladles of fresh stock ( I used vegetable)

Method
Take a sharp knife and cut 3 diagonal slashes across each breast.
Now mix together everything but the stock in a bowl.
Add the breasts and rub this marinade all over. Cover and leave to rest at room temperature for a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 220c.
Rub as much of the marinade as you can off the duck breasts, but do not throw out any of it. Place the breasts in a pan just large enough to fit snugly. Roast for about 12 minutes. They should be pink in the middle. (you can cook them well done if you like, but they will be on the dry side) They will be swimming in their own fat. Pour this away for later use
Take the breasts and leave them to rest on a warm plate. In the meantime, add any of the left over marinade to the pan with the stock, deglaze and reduce, over the stove, until syrupy.
Slice the breasts thinly and toss with hot reduction and extra chopped parsley. Arrange on a serving dish and eat. This goes well with braised broad beans and peas. Serves 2.

Sunday Breakfast

This is my version of Ham and Eggs for breakfast. Duck eggs have richer tasting yolks and softer set whites. They are available from organic food stores. Teamed with prosciutto, organic cream, good butter and real bread, this makes for a very glamorous Sunday breakfast.

Prosciutto with baked Duck Eggs

Ingredients per person
1 duck egg
Butter
1 Tbsp organic cream (If you are going to buy duck eggs and prosciutto, you may as well splurge and get the cream as well)
Salt
Fresh white pepper
50 g thinly sliced prosciutto
Buttered toast, to serve with

Method
Set the oven to 180c. The temperature is important here. I use an oven thermometer. Too high and the eggs will turn into rubber.
Lightly butter a ramekin dish and break one egg into it.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour over a scant tablespoon of cream.
Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. Start checking after 8 minutes. Over cooked eggs would be a disaster (trust me I have done it before) They are ready when the whites have just set.
Serve on a plate with the prosciutto and toast.