During the last few cooking challenges I presented Mexican dishes which where complex yet not that well received due to my own familiarity with Mexican cuisine. This time around I decided to take a French classic and give it a Southern/Cajun twist. Unfortunately the heat of the battle may have affected my memory a little and since I did not work with a recipe so I can only hope this recreation of the dish is for the most part accurate. Several ingredients do not have a specific measurement attached and that is because I frankly do not know how I ended up using. As always cook with all your senses, smell and taste the dish frequently and I’m sure it will turn out great.
40 oz of cooked white beans
4 chopped Roma tomatoes
1 table spoon of finely minced garlic
The meat and fat from 4 duck legs
1 tablespoon of flour
1 large sausage (traditionally a French garlic and pork sausage, I used a southern smoked beef sausage)
1 pound of cubed lamb
3 strips of bacon, chopped.
Beef broth
Paprika
3 Bay leaves
Celery salt
One large onion
2 Pounds of Collard Greens
Cayenne pepper
Black Pepper
Stone Ground Mustard
1 loaf of baguette.
1) Place the duck meat and fat in a frying pan and fry with the garlic. Once cooked lower the temperature and simmer in its own juice and fat for an hour. This rendered duck fat together with the meat will be the base of the Cassoulet.
2) Make a lamb stew by cooking the lamb cubes in a sauce pan together with the bacon. Once browned ad about a cup of beef broth and stir in a table spoon of flour. Season with black pepper. Simmer in the pan for half an hour or until tender.
3) In a large pot mix the beans, bay leaves, chunks of sausage and Roma tomatoes. Season with Celery Salt, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika.
4) Add both the Duck and the Lamb to the Beans together with another cup of beef broth. Allow this to simmer for about an hour.
5) Serve a scoop atop a baguette crouton.
Collard greens.
1) Remove most of the stem from the collard greens and chop them into medium pieces.
2) Add to a pot with a half cup of beef broth and simmer until fully wilted.
3) Cut an onion in half and separate the segments to produce small bowls. Bake these on a sheet in the oven until translucent yet still firm. This should take about 10 minutes at 250F but keep an eye on those shells just to be safe.
4) Spoon collard greens into onion shells and garnish with a small mound of mustard.