Cassole of Duck Confit and Orange Sausage

Chef: Thierry Daraize

Prep time: 30 min.   Cooking time: 1 hr. 40min.   Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 Pekin Duck legs confit
2 orange duck and pork sausages
7 ounces (210 g) lingot or tarbais dry beans2
3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
1 minced onions
2 slices of bacon, in thin strips
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) garlic flower
12 saffron fibres
6 cups (1.5 L) poultry stock or water
8 pitted prunes
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) Espelette pepper
3 tablespoons (45 ml) plain breadcrumbs
Salt flower to taste

- Soak the beans in cold water for at least 5 hours.  Rinse it under running water. Drain and set aside.
- In a large cooking casserole, sauté the onion and bacon in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic flower and saffron.  Cover with 3/4 of the broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for one hour.
- Add the prunes and sprinkle with a little salt flower and Espelette pepper. Split the sausages in two and add to the pan along with the duck legs confit. Add remaining liquid.
- Preheat the oven at 180°C (350°F), cover and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. At the very end, season with the remaining Espelette pepper and salt to taste.  Let it rest away from heat for 20 minutes.
- Divide in individual earthenware or enamelled cast iron casseroles. Lay the duck legs confit and the sausages on a bed of beans and vegetables.  Finish with the breadcrumbs. Broil 2 minutes until brown.
- Serve at once.

*Cassole is the Issel clay pot, formerly used in the Southwest of France,
which gave its name to the renowned cassoulet served in that region.
It is also called Cassolot.