Author: Wendy Taylor

Wendy Taylor took home accolades for her Cassoulet dish at March’s Rhone Mini-Tasting. It was Wendy’s first time making this recipe

“I also never had used Duck Confit before,” says Wendy,
who joined the OCWS with husband Stacey 20 years ago
when the newly married couple sought out an activity they
could enjoy together. “It was very flavorful and everything
including the fat of the confit was used. It was a perfect
complement to the Rhone wines served.”

Wendy says she loves this type of recipe for a potluck
because it is all in one dish.

“A casserole dish is awesome for keeping the heat in
the dish while traveling and waiting to be served at the
event location,” Wendy says.

The recipe is a variation of one she found online,
only Wendy altered the recipe by adding cooked,
chopped carrots, celery and onion to the dish prior to
baking.

Cassoulet
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried white beans
8 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups chopped onion (3/4 lb.)
3 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (6 large
cloves)
1 (3”) piece celery, cut into thirds
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
3 whole cloves
3 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs plus
1/2 cup chopped leaves
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 (14-oz.) can stewed tomatoes,
puréed or finely chopped with juice
4 confit duck legs* (1 3/4 lb. total)
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil (if necessary)
1 lb. cooked garlic pork sausage* or
smoked pork kielbasa, cut crosswise
into 1/3”-thick slices
2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs
(preferably from a baguette)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
SOAK AND COOK BEANS:
Step 1
Cover beans with cold water by 2” in
large bowl and soak 8-12 hours. Drain
in colander.

Step 2
Transfer beans to 6- to 8-quart pot
and bring to boil with 8 cups cold
water, broth, tomato paste, onion,
and 2 Tbsp. garlic. Put celery, thyme,
bay leaf, cloves, parsley sprigs, and
peppercorns in cheesecloth and
tie into bundle with string to make
bouquet garni. Add bouquet garni to
beans, then reduce heat and simmer,
uncovered, until beans are almost
tender (45 minutes to 1 hour). Stir
in tomatoes with juice and simmer
until beans are just tender (about 15
minutes).

PREPARE DUCK AND SAUSAGE:
Step 3
Remove skin and fat from duck legs
and cut skin and fat into 1/2” pieces.
Separate duck meat from bones,
leaving it in large pieces, and transfer
meat to bowl. Add bones to bean pot.

Step 4
Cook duck skin and fat with remaining
1/4 cup cold water in a 10” heavy skillet
over moderate heat, stirring, until water
is evaporated and fat is rendered,
about 5 minutes. Continue to cook,
stirring frequently, until skin is crisp, 3-6
minutes more. Transfer cracklings with
slotted spoon to paper towels to drain,
leaving fat in skillet. (You should have
about 1/4 cup fat; if not, add olive oil.)

Step 5
Brown sausage in batches in fat in
skillet, then transfer to bowl with duck
meat, reserving skillet.

Step 6
Preheat oven to 350°F.
MAKE BREADCRUMB TOPPING:

Step 7
Add remaining tablespoon garlic to fat
in skillet and cook over moderate heat,
stirring, 1 minute. Stir in breadcrumbs
and cook, stirring, until pale golden,
about 2 minutes. Remove from heat
and stir in chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp.
salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and cracklings.

ASSEMBLE CASSEROLE:
Step 8
Remove bouquet garni and duck
bones from beans and discard, then
stir in kielbasa, duck meat, remaining
teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 tsp.
pepper.
Step 9
Ladle cassoulet into casserole dish,
distributing meat and beans evenly.
(Meat and beans should be level with
liquid; if they are submerged, ladle
excess liquid back into pot and boil until
reduced, then pour back into casserole
dish.) Spread breadcrumb topping
evenly over cassoulet.

BAKE CASSEROLE:
Step 10
Bake in lower third of oven until bubbling
and the crust is golden, about
1 hour.

Tamara Reddy says she had some creme de cassis on hand she had brought home from a trip around the wine regions of France and wanted to use it in something chocolate and decadent for a recent OCWS mini-tasting.

She had never made this recipe before, but she was 100 percent confident in her Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. So she searched for a dessert using Cassis, found one, and made it with confidence.

“Ina is the best, I use her recipes extensively,” says Tamara, who along with husband Michael has been an Orange County Wine Society member for eight years. “To date, the recipes have won me a good number of bottles of wine at our Mini-Tasting events.”

Chocolate Cassis Cake

For the Cake:
Baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy
12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. crème de cassis liqueur
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the Glaze:
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 Tbsp. crème de cassis liqueur
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

To Serve:
2 (½ pint) boxes fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup crème de cassis liqueur

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round springform pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray it again with baking spray.

MELT butter and chocolate together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

WHISK in the cocoa powder, cassis liqueur and vanilla; set aside.

IN THE BOWL of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), beat the eggs, sugar and salt on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until pale yellow and triple in volume.

POUR chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and carefully but thoroughly fold them together with a rubber spatula.

POUR batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until just barely set in the center. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then release the sides of the pan. Invert the cake carefully onto a flat serving plate, remove the parchment paper and cool completely.

FOR THE GLAZE, melt the chocolate and cream together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the cassis and vanilla.

COOL for 10 minutes and spread over just the top of the cake.

BEFORE SERVING (15 minutes), toss the berries gently with the sugar and cassis liqueur. Cut the cake in wedges and serve with the berries on the side.

Do you have something delicious to share? Please send your recipes to George Cravens at george@ocws.org for possible publication on the OCWS website.