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.

Oven Braised Veal Stew
with Black Pepper &
Cherries

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb. boneless veal stew meat cut
into 2-inch pieces
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
¾ cup boiling water
2 Tbsp. veal demi-glace (try
Williams-Sonoma)
2 cups fresh or undrained thawed
frozen pitted cherries
2½ Tbsp. honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup dry red wine (Syrah, Barbara,
Pinot Noir) optional
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
½ package of flat butter noodles

Steps

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place veal pieces in bowl; sprinkle all over with pepper and 1 tsp. salt. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Melt butter with oil in 5 to 6 qt. Dutch oven over high heat. Working in two batches (if necessary), add veal; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer veal to a bowl using a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour off drippings from the Dutch oven.

Stir together ¾ cup boiling water and demi-glace mixture, cherries, honey, cinnamon, cardamom bay leaf and optional red wine to Dutch oven; bring to a boil over high heat, scraping bottom and sides of oven to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover; nestle veal in the cherry mixture.

Cover and roast in preheated oven until veal is very tender, about 90 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1 tsp. salt. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately over noodles.

Optional Thickening

Deglaze the stew. Pour veal and cherry stew into a bowl through a sieve. Place veal and cherry mixture in a bowl and set aside. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add ½ cup heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until the sauce has thickened, 10-15 minutes. Return veal, cherry mixture to the sauce and reheat over medium heat 10 minutes.

Make Ahead

Stew can be made up to three days ahead; let cool then cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently over medium.

Oven Braised Veal Stew with Black Pepper & Cherries recipe courtesy Barb White. Got something delicious to share? Please send your recipes to George Cravens at george@ocws.org for possible publication on the OCWS
website.

OCWS member Elee Phillips made the popular Cranberry, Brie and Pancetta Bites for the Winemakers Goup’s Christmas Party in December. By all accounts, it was a real hit.

“Baked brie is one of my—and many of my friends’—favorite appetizers,” Elee says. “But I wanted something different and easier to serve to a crowd. That’s when I came across the recipe on the Well Plated by Erin website.

The original recipe called for roasted pecans and rosemary sprigs and since Elee is allergic to nuts and “can’t stand biting into little leaves of rosemary,” she came up with an alternative—pancetta!

Cranberry, Brie and Pancetta Bites

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry

1 small round brie cheese

8 oz. cranberry orange sauce (I used this recipe: but you can use any jam

2 slices pancetta (approx. 1/8” thick)

Oil

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375°; spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

ROLL OUT and cut sheet of puff pastry into 24 2” squares.

PRESS one square into each muffin cup.

CUT brie in half horizontally and dice the one half into about ½” cubes.

PLACE one cube in each cup.

DICE pancetta into small (approx. 1/8”) cubes.

SAUTEE small cubes in 1 tsp. of oil until crisp; drain on paper towel and wait until cool.

SCOOP 1 tsp. cranberry sauce into each cup (I use a small melon baller).

SPRINKLE pancetta over each cup.

BAKE for 18-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

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

The four weeks prior to writing this column just seemed to get away from me and, to be honest, I didn’t prepare as well as I should have. So, in my haste to write this article, it dawned on me that I have a simple “best of” recipe that is often requested when I attend a gathering. I have made this salad on an exceptionally large scale for up to 200 people at OCWS events with the Cooks Caucus including a few barbecues, the Home Wine Competition and a home wine competition wrap up event, and I have made it as small as a half recipe when dining with just a few friends. It can be easily tailored to serve any number of people. I have shared the recipe with anyone who has asked for it over the years and it is so simple, that if it wasn’t so good, I’d almost be embarrassed to share it with you.

Those of you that know me well know that I am not known for my culinary talents. Although I can cook and bake well from recipes, I do not have that innate sense of what flavors go with what that true chefs have. Although I have a good palate and genuinely appreciate the creations of others, I am merely a cook and, much in the style of Sandra Lee from the original Cooking Network, I create semi-homemade dishes.

This particular salad came from my frugal upbringing in that I just could not allow myself  to continue to expend the money on the exorbitant cost of the original salad from a local restaurant (shhhh…..Stonefire Grill) for the quantities that I wanted to serve, so I recreated what I thought was their recipe and, low and behold, it has been a winner ever since. I keep the canned and bottled ingredients on hand at all times and, becoming lazy in my later years, now buy the fresh ingredients already shred, if available.

I hope this finds its way onto your easy, to do list and that you enjoy it with whatever wine sounds good to you at the time. 

BBQ CHOPPED SALAD

Shredded lettuce –  As much as you like, just pack the lettuce into the bowl as the base

Place equal lines on top of the lettuce in your desired amounts of:

Shredded Red Cabbage

Black Beans (canned, rinsed and drained well)

Corn (canned, rinsed and drained well)

Shredded Carrots

Scallions and Cilantro (diced and mixed together)

Shredded Cheese

Tortilla Chips (crumbled to use as topping)

*BBQ Sauce

*Ranch Dressing

(*Use good name brands, as it does make a difference, serve separately and drizzle equally on the salad on individual portions)

Additional Hints (from years of trial and error):

· A protein such as chicken or thinly sliced beef can be added to serve as a main course

· Serve the crumbled tortilla chip topping on the side, so they don’t get soggy on top of the salad

· Put squeeze containers of dressing and sauce on the table and allow guests to dress the salad to suit their tastes, also the salad doesn’t get soggy by serving on the side

· Play with ingredients to suit your taste (suggest not deleting cilantro/scallions)

· It’s easiest to dig down and serve the salad with tongs

– Fran Gitsham, Contributing Writer