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.

Duck Fat Potato Chips

It was a wretched day, today. The skies were dark and purple with heavy rain, making the day unpleasantly cold. I love winter but I dislike the way the rain keeps us trapped in our homes and offices. But saying that, I like the way it brings us together too. Huddled inside for warmth, eating for reassurance and drinking red wine to keep our bodies warm.
For some eccentric reason, one food, which I crave to eat on days like these, is potato chips or French fries (as they are known in America). A good chip will be feathery and white on the interior, with a golden brittle exterior. Most people will associate potato chips with fast food chains and hamburgers. I don’t necessarily-although I must admit that most chips I do eat, are those mass-produced by the fast-food industry. However, I am also aware that one can produce first-rate chips at home. My mother often cooked them when we were children to accompany roast lamb, preferring to cut the potato into cubes. And as a young boy, my grandmother often treated us to a grand feast of potato chips and nothing else, save for that hideous red sauce known as ketchup. As a child, I loved this red sauce, pouring it all over everything I ate. Now I hate it. The thought alone makes me want to gag! Its funny the way our tastes and palette change, as we become older and learned.
The way I prefer to eat my homemade fries is just like my grandmother served them- as one grand solitary feast. And rather than you- know- what, I much prefer to build a creamy and voluptuous mayonnaise, to dip each crispy potato slice into. Fat on Fat. I know it sounds like too much but it works. Adding a touch more vinegar (or lemon juice) to your mayonnaise than usual will help to cut the all-prevailing fattiness (I am assuming everybody knows what mayonnaise is and how it is made. If you don’t, I suggest you pick up a classic cookbook from somewhere, or do a google search. You wont learn it here today, but if you ask politely I will post my own receipt. The stuff you buy in jars does not in the slightest resemble true mayonnaise. Make and savor your own and you will discover a new world of eating).
Your choice of potato and oil is of utmost importance. I am very lucky to live close by to Prahran Market, where I do most of my food shopping. There is a stall, which specializes in potatoes. The man who runs this stall has helped me on a number of occasions, to choose the appropriate type of potato for the type of dish I happened to be making (in fact this lovely man is like a potato, very friendly, humble and down to earth). For fried potato chips he recommends the creamy white Trent potato. If you don’t have a potato man like I do, then you had better do some research and find out which potato in your area is most suitable for frying, before you begin. Some people like waxy potatoes; others prefer the floury variety- ultimately the choice is yours. Unfortunately I haven’t cooked potato chips enough times to know the difference, although I have a feeling the waxy variety may be prone to sticking together.
Whereas I cannot inform you enough of potato varieties, I can on fat. Do not even think of reaching for your bottle of extra virgin olive. It will be wasted here because of its assertive flavour and its inability to reach the right temperature without burning. Instead I recommend either peanut oil or rice bran oil. Both are popular in Asian cuisine for deep-frying. They have a clean and light nutty taste and are able to withstand the high temperature needed for deep-frying. Apparently grape seed oil is good too (that’s another recommendation from Mr Potato). To this oil I would also add a very generous amount of duck fat or beef dripping. The addition of an animal fat here is for a couple of important reasons. It will provide a comforting background flavour and aroma that oil alone cannot provide (duck fat especially- its smells a bit like when you roast meat and that’s always comforting in the dead of winter). It will also enable your potatoes to fry to a wonderful state of golden crispiness. I don’t think I need to tell you how dreadful soggy, sodden French fries are to eat.
The whole operation will require a careful hand and watch. Have lots of paper towel at the ready and be prepared to clean up an oily stove- unfortunately this is unavoidable if you wish to make good fries. Also be aware your home may smell like a fish and chip shop for a day or two- make use of your exhaust fan, if you have one. I would also have a safety plan in mind, just in case your oil should catch fire (there is always the risk). And while I am on the subject, you may lightly burn yourself a couple of times from the fat spitting, and for this same reason- wear black when frying. Oil stains are hard to remove from your tailor made silk garments (keep dreaming).
Hindrances aside, you will be greatly rewarded for making your own chippies. Once they have all fried to perfection, pile them onto a plate, and sit on the couch with your mayonnaise and a cold refreshing drink close by (apple cider works here) and leisurely consume each golden crispy potato chip. I can assure you; you will have a big grin on your face as the cold rain plummets to the ground outside.

Ingredients
1 kilo Trent potatoes or other suitable potato
200 g duck fat or beef dripping
750ml peanut oil or rice bran oil
Sea salt
Homemade mayonnaise, to serve

Method
Peel your potatoes and rinse the starchy surface in water. Cut and trim your potatoes into chips about 1cm thick. Throw away any that are very different in size and shape than the rest. Unfortunately there is no room for the nonconformist chip- oddly shaped potatoes chips will require different cooking times, making the operation too stressful. From 1 kilo of potato you should get about 700g of perfectly cut chips. Lay them out on a couple of clean tea towels and allow them to dry thoroughly. The drier the potato, the less the oil will spit.
Frying chips is done in two stages.
Take a deep saucepan and heat your oil and fat together over a low heat. You need to heat the oil over a low heat to avoid “cool” spots. Give the fat a gentle stir to make sure it has heated evenly. Then turn your heat dial to medium/high. Fry the chips in batches for about 5 minutes. Do not allow them to colour at this stage. They should be pale but cooked through. Drain them on plenty of kitchen paper. Repeat until all your chips have been fried for the first stage. You may do this step in advance, and it is perfectly fine for the chips to become cold.
When you are ready to eat, heat your oil to high, again making sure the oil has heated evenly. The second frying is done at a higher temperature. Lower your chips in, again in batches. This time fry them until they become golden and crisp. It should not take more than 2 minutes. Drain them on kitchen paper and season with good quality salt.
Eat immediately with your homemade mayonnaise for dipping. This amount of potato should make a sufficient feast for two people.