Cassoulet with confit duck
A cassoulet is perhaps the most famous dish from south-west France and there are countless variations across the region, with as many hotly debated arguments about which is the best, which is the original and how it should be cooked.
In my opinion, a true cassoulet should have a crust as this adds a wonderful crunchy element that is otherwise lacking amid all the flaky meat and soft beans – though again, it’s debatable whether the crust should be scattered over the top, as I have done here, or whether it should form naturally.
Serves 4
Tarbais or Coco de Paimpol beans, ideally, or any dried white beans 450g
cloves 2
onions 2 small
carrots 150g, roughly chopped
bouquet garni 1 (see below)
garlic 5 cloves
smoked streaky bacon 150g, cut into lardons
olive oil for frying
Toulouse sausages 2
For the confit de canard
duck legs 4
coarse sea salt 50g
duck fat 1 litre
For the persillade crust
dried breadcrumbs 100g
shallots 50g, very finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley 3 tbsp, finely chopped
For the bouquet garni
celery 1 stick
flat-leaf parsley 4 stalks
bay leaf 1
thyme 2 sprigs
green leek leaves 3
For the bouquet garni, wrap the celery, parsley, bay leaf and thyme in the leak leaves, and tie in three places with string.
Start the cooking at least one day before by making the confit because it must be chilled for 12 hours, then left overnight. Put the duck legs in a bowl and mix with the coarse salt. Cover with a tea towel and chill for 12 hours.
Remove the duck pieces from the salt and wipe off the excess salt and salty juices with a clean cloth. Melt the duck fat in a large pan.
Put the duck legs in a casserole or saucepan deep enough to hold all four comfortably. Pour over the melted fat, ensuring the legs are covered, and cook for about 1½ hours over a low heat, skimming the surface from time to time. The meat is ready when you can pierce it easily with a wooden skewer. Leave the legs to cool completely in the fat, then set aside in a cool place overnight.
At the same time, cover the beans with cold water and leave to soak overnight.
The next day, stick the cloves in the onions. Drain and rinse the beans, then place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to the boil, skimming the surface, then add the carrot, onions with their cloves, bouquet garni, garlic and bacon. Leave to simmer for 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Remove the onions and the bouquet garni and set the beans aside.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and fry the sausages on all sides until well caramelised and cooked through – about 10 minutes. Check that the sausages are cooked by inserting a very fine skewer – if it feels warm when touched to your lips, the sausages are ready. Slice the sausages and add them to the beans.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Transfer everything to a large baking dish. Mix together the ingredients for the crust and sprinkle them over the cassoulet. Roast the cassoulet for about 20 minutes – until the crust is browned and crisp.
Meanwhile, cook the duck legs. Lift them out of the fat. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the legs, skin-side down, and sear until the skin is very crisp and golden. Turn over and leave to brown on the other side – about 2 minutes.
When the cassoulet is ready, place the duck legs on top and serve immediately.
Lamb couscous
In France, couscous is the national dish. The French absolutely love it. When I was in the army doing my national service in Toulon, the way to please our superiors was to make a couscous.
Serves 4
lamb rump steaks 4 x 150g
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
carrots 120g, chopped
courgettes 120g, chopped
turnips 120g, chopped
chickpeas 1 x 400g can, drained
merguez sausages 4, sliced
harissa paste 2 tbsp
salt and pepper
For the lamb stock
olive oil 100ml
lamb bones 2kg
carrots 2, roughly chopped
onions 3, roughly chopped
garlic 5 cloves
bouquet garni 1 (see cassoulet recipe)
tomato puree 2 tbsp
cinnamon stick 1 small
ground ginger 1 tbsp
ground coriander 1 tbsp
paprika 1 tbsp
saffron threads a pinch
For the couscous
couscous 300g medium
cumin 1 tbsp
sultanas 80g
olive oil 3 tbsp
ground turmeric 1½ tsp
saffron threads a pinch
To make the lamb stock, heat a large pan, wide and deep enough to hold the bones. Add the olive oil, then the bones and leave them to brown over a medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients, then pour in enough cold water just to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 2 hours. At this point, taste and check the flavour, then pass the stock through a sieve and set aside.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Season the lamb all over. Heat an ovenproof frying pan and when hot, add the oil, then the lamb steaks and seal the meat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
While the lamb is cooking, cook each chopped vegetable separately in boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a small saucepan. Mix with the chickpeas and keep warm over a low heat. Heat a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and fry the merguez until cooked through.
For the couscous, place the couscous and the other couscous ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover (about 400ml), mix well and leave to stand for a few minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the water.
While the lamb is resting, measure 250ml of the lamb stock. Place in a small pan, stir in the harissa paste and warm through. To serve, transfer the couscous to a warm serving bowl.
Slice the merguez and mix with the vegetables. Place the lamb on the couscous, arrange the vegetables alongside and serve immediately with the harissa sauce.
Beef cheeks braised in red wine
A poor man’s cut of meat, but when cooked slowly and gently, beef cheeks are transformed. The gelatinous, chewy cheek muscles break down and become so soft the meat melts in your mouth.
In the 1970s, when I first put this on a menu in England, nobody was eating joues de boeuf; they were used for dog food! And when I asked the butcher to source them for me, he found it hard. Fast forward 40 years and cheeks – pig, calf and ox – have become so popular, they’re now really fashionable.
Serves 6
plain flour 100g
salt and pepper
beef cheeks 700g, cut into 12 large pieces
vegetable oil 50ml
carrots 150g, roughly chopped
onions 150g, roughly chopped
good-quality red wine 1.1 litres
garlic 4 cloves, chopped
bouquet garni 1 (see cassoulet recipe)
baby onions 120g
unsalted butter 30g, plus extra to glaze
caster sugar ½ tsp
baby carrots 200g
smoked streaky bacon 150g, cut into lardons
button mushrooms 12
mashed potato to serve (see below)
For the mashed potato
potatoes, such as Maris Piper, King Edward or Idaho 800g
water 1 litre
salt 25g
unsalted butter 200g
double cream 100ml
salt and pepper
flat-leaf parsley finely chopped, to garnish (optional)
For the mash, peel the potatoes, cut into quarters and place in a large saucepan. Cover with the water and add the salt. Slowly bring to the boil and simmer until tender – if you boil them too hard, they will take on too much salt. The timing will depend on the size of your chunks.
Drain in a colander and allow to dry by leaving them to sit and steam in the colander for a few minutes. Pass the potato and butter through a mouli or return them to the pan and mash until smooth.
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small saucepan and warm it through gently. Place the pan of mashed potato back on a medium heat and stir to dry the potato out. Add the warm cream and mix it in with a spoon until very smooth. Check the seasoning, garnish with the parsley, if using, and serve immediately.
To make the beef cheeks, heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the flour on a plate, season with salt and pepper, then roll the pieces of meat in it until lightly coated. Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole until very hot. Brown the meat quickly and evenly. Add the chopped carrot and onion, cover, and leave to sweat gently for 10 minutes.
Holding the lid over the casserole, pour away all the cooking fat. Add the wine and stir to deglaze. Bring to the boil, then add the garlic and bouquet garni, and season. Replace the lid and cook in the oven for about 2½ hours, until the meat is very tender. Stir regularly during cooking, adding a little water if necessary.
Meanwhile, place the baby onions in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover with 50ml water, or enough so that the onions are only just covered, and stir in the butter and sugar. Place a circle of greaseproof paper (a cartouche) over the surface of the liquid and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions are glazed and shiny. Keep warm, covered, over a very low heat.
At the same time, blanch the baby carrots in boiling salted water, drain well, then return to the pan and toss in enough butter to coat them until they are shiny. Fry the bacon in a small frying pan over a high heat, until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, then add the mushrooms to the pan, frying them in the bacon fat, until golden and tender.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Lift out the pieces of meat with a slotted spoon and discard the vegetables and the bouquet garni. Place the meat in a clean pan, pass the sauce through a fine sieve over the meat and gently stir in the bacon and mushrooms.
Serve the daube on plates with mashed potato, the glazed button onions and carrots, and the sauce over the top.
Apple tart (tarte fine aux pommes)
I like to serve it with creme anglaise and ice cream but really it just needs one or the other. Purists would undoubtedly argue that a beautiful apple tart needs no adornment at all.
Serves 4
ready-made puff pastry 400g
Granny Smith (tart green) apples 6, cored
unsalted butter 100g, cold, cut into small dice
caster sugar 100g
creme anglaise or vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 2mm thick. Cut out a 20cm circle.
Transfer the pastry to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and prick it all over with a fork to prevent it rising. Slice the apples crossways very finely (a mandoline makes this very easy) and arrange them in tight concentric circles – a “rosace” pattern – on top of the pastry. Dot the butter over the apples, then sprinkle over the sugar.
Bake the tart for about 20 minutes, until the apples are beautifully caramelised. Serve warm with the creme anglaise or some vanilla ice cream – or both!
Creme caramel
Serves 4
milk 500ml
vanilla pod 1, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
egg yolks 3
eggs 2
caster sugar 80g
For the caramel
caster sugar 130g
water 130ml
Line a large roasting tin with newspaper and place four 10cm ramekins inside the tin – the newspaper prevents bubbles from forming in the caramel.
You need to start by making the caramel. Place the sugar and water in a large heavy-bottomed stainless-steel saucepan over a medium–high heat. Heat, until the caramel turns from a golden to a darker brown, then immediately remove from the heat and very carefully pour it into the bottom of the ramekins to create a layer about 3mm thick (you may have some leftover caramel). Set aside at room temperature to cool and set.
Heat the oven to 130C/gas mark ½. Bring the milk to the boil with the vanilla pod and seeds, then remove it from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. Whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick, then pour the hot milk over this mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour the custard over the caramel in the ramekins, then pour some boiling water into the tin containing the ramekins so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Transfer the tin to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until set – you can check this by inserting a small knife into the centre; if it comes out clean the caramels are ready. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.
To serve, simply turn each ramekin upside down on to a plate – the caramels should slide out easily.
From Classic Koffman by Pierre Koffman (Jacqui Small, £30). Click here to buy a copy for £24.60 from the Guardian Bookshop
