RECIPE: Braised Duck Breast & Cassoulet from Bistro Bella Vita (gluten- and dairy-free)

Braised Duck Breast, photo courtesy of Jeff Hage of Green Frog Photo

A Cassoulet, at its most basic, is a bean stew that is cooked in an earthenware casserole dish.  The dish comes from  Languedoc, a region in the Southwest of France.  Although there are many variations on a cassoulet throughout France and around the world, the French actually have committees that sit around and make rules about what makes their national dishes. . . their national dishes.  That's love.

According to a lovely cooking site, CookThink.com, a proper cassoulet is defined as containing 70 percent navy (or haricot) beans, stock, herbs and seasonings like garlic, and 30 percent pork, mutton and duck or goose confit.

For those of us with food allergies, especially to gluten and dairy, we often have to break the rules, and a cassoulet, surprisingly, can adapt very well.  One of my local favorite restaurants, Bistro Bella Vita broke the rules for me and accommodated my rather long list of allergies so I could take part in a version of this French favorite.  I first tried the duck with the cassoulet, and made a second visit to Bistro where the duck was nestled onto summer vegetables (pictured here).

Read Bistro Bella Vita’s Tender review, and the following two recipes for yourself. 

Cassoulet Recipe

Ingredients

-Dried beans (Great Northern, Cannellini or Navy)   - 4 cups

-Chicken broth, no salt added – 6 qts

-Diced bacon – 6 strips

-Diced pork tenderloin – ½ lb

-Minced garlic – 2 T

- Large diced carrot  - 1 ea

-Diced Spanish onion – 2 ea

-Diced celery – ½ bunch

-DRY marsala wine – 1/2 750ml bottle

-Honey – 2 Tbl

-Dried oregano – 1 Tbl

-Dried Basil – 1 Tbl

-Fresh minced rosemary – 1 Tbl

-Kosher salt to taste

-Sherry vinegar – 2 Tbl

Instructions

-Soak the beans in water over night in refrigerator  

-In a large pan cook the bacon over medium heat until it is about halfway cooked, next add the pork and cook for about 2 minutes

-Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and sweat for about 4 minutes (Don’t let the garlic brown at all)

-Add the marsala wine to the pan and cook the wine down about ¾ of the way

-Add remaining ingredients (Honey, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt and vinegar)

-Make sure the beans are covered by the broth by at least 2 inches. *

         *You may need to add some water*

-Bring up to a boil then reduce to low/medium heat to a hard simmer

-Cook for about 2 hours. *Don’t let the liquid dry out* Make sure you check occasionally and stir with a wooden spoon and be gentle.

-Cook until beans are fully cooked and liquid has thickened. If the beans are still not done after two hours, you may want to reduce the heat toward the end of cooking and just add some water a little at a time until everything comes together.

Braised Duck Breast

From what I understand from Kyle, the Special Events coordinator at Bistro Bella Vita, the chefs change the braising recipe from time to time, depending who is cooking, their creative whims and the type of product they are working with.  You can change the flavor profile by removing the white wine and herbs, using just the chicken stock to deglaze the pan.  Here is my interpretation based upon what the chefs sent to me.

Ingredients

-4 duck breasts, skin and fat trimmed; seasoned with sea salt

-Mirepoix (1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup chopped carrot, 1/2 cup chopped celery). 

-½ cup of white wine

-1-1/2 cups of chicken broth

-8 large sprigs of thyme (you could also use sage)

-2 bay leaves

Braising Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thoroughly dry the duck breast with a paper towel (external moisture will prevent duck from browning properly).

In a Dutch Oven or a large, covered oven-proof skillet, sear the duck on all sides in 2 tablespoons of oil (or duck fat).  Make sure the pan is very hot before searing duck.  When the duck is seared, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the mirepoix to the juices in the pan (carrots, celery, onions) to the pan and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, and until the vegetables are a bit caramelized and just tender. 

Deglaze the pan with ½ cup of white wine. 

Add in the chicken stock and herbs, and then bring to a simmer.

Add the duck breasts back into the pan.

Cover and place in the oven @ 300 degrees F.  for 1 to 1&1/2 hours or until the duck is really tender, checking often and adding more liquid if necessary.

Remove the duck to a plate or cutting board, cover with parchment and let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice and serve over vegetables, or with the Bistro Bella Vita Cassoulet (above).

Warmest thanks to the chefs and to Kyle at Bistro Bella Vita for these recipes.   My thanks also to Jeff Hage of Green Frog Photo for providing these shots of the duck.

Review: Bistro Bella Vita serves up a "Foodgasm" when dishing for patrons with allergies

Boeuf Bourguinonne. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo.

Some Background

I’ve dined at Bistro Bella Vita upon several occasions, twice, specifically for this review.  I have always been treated with respect and generosity by the Bistro Staff, even when I push my list of allergies and their accompanying strict instructions at my server; and even before I started writing reviews.

In my experience, Bistro Bella Vita has done their food allergy homework and they make it clear that they welcome special diets of any kind.  I know this because they told me as much, and they have gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan menus.  But it is also evident in the presentation of each meal, the tastes and textures on each plate, and the consistent care in the service I’ve received each time.  

The knowledge of the chefs, kitchen and servers are a fundamental, dining-out requirement for anyone with food allergies.  Personally, I also want my food to be made with whole, quality ingredients.  I want it to taste delicious, even if those ingredients are restricted.  There are several dishes on the menu that bring me back to Bistro.  In the case of one particular dish they serve, and according to my dining companion, it is “foodgasmic”.

The Food

That dish is the bœuf bourguignonne, a dish that I love, but one that I didn’t think a restaurant would serve to someone with dairy allergies.  French dishes are sometimes attached to their butter, and the balance of slow cooked flavors is what makes a this French stew so good.  Its advanced preparation can prohibit on-the-spot customization.  Unexpectedly Bistro said, “no problem” when I first ordered it, and I’ve ordered it several times since.

I was lucky to have Jeff Hage, a professional food photographer, with me during my most recent meal there.  I decided to “let” Jeff have the Boeuf Bourguignonne while I tried the sautéed duck breast for a second time.  As I scrutinized and enjoyed my duck, Jeff would make a few wordless utterances as he experienced his beef.  I asked him what inspired each reverent hum and he, a super foodie, started describing some tastes and flavors to me.  Here are two such verbalized hums:

“The mushrooms are roasted just perfectly.  Absolutely perfectly.”

“Oh, I just had a foodgasm.  A little piece of chard found its way in with a bite of the beef.  Oh.  So good.”

An Aside

ASIDE:  I looked up “foodgasm” – I thought it might have made it into the dictionary by now, but it hasn’t.  I did find a fun looking culinary web site, though (currently under construction).  Its called “Foodgasmic.com.  The Cherry Popping Experience.”   I thought that was hilarious.  And apropos.

 More Food

Duck with Steamed Summer Vegetables. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo.
My duck was also very good.  It came on a bed of perfectly steamed yellow and green haricot verts and summer squashes.  The balsamic reduction mingled with the duck juices that were seeping onto the plate and under the vegetables.  After watching Jeff photograph my dish, I then proceeded to enjoy that mingling.  The meat was nicely cooked to medium/medium-rare, though a bit chewy both times I had ordered it.  Jeff has more experience with duck than I, so I asked him why this might be.  He said that it usually has to do with the duck itself.  If you put two ducks side by side, one might cook into perfect tenderness, while another might be a little rubbery.  This didn’t stop me from enjoying the dish.  It almost didn’t stop me from literally licking my plate.  But alas, we do live in a civilized world with reputations to protect.

The Staff

I would be remiss if I did not mention Erica, our server.  Erica remembered that I tend to drink sparkling water with lime, made sure to get my food allergy card to the kitchen and then back to my wallet, and made my guests (and me) feel comfortable as we discussed my specialized menu.  Kyle, the special events coordinator worked with the Chef to get a recipe for the duck, including a cassoulet, which will be posted in a few days so you can try the duck for yourself.  He also worked with the manager, Brad, and the Chefs to answer questions about their food allergy practices.  I appreciate the time that each of them offered to help Tender Foodies take a comfortable and delicious space at their table.

Many, many thanks to Jeff Hage of Green Frog Photo for his delish pics.  

Bistro Bella Vita’s Food Allergy Practices

Food Allergy Training:  Developed our own internal process.

 
Menu Options:  Gluten-free, Lactose-free and Vegan Menus available.  

 
Gluten-free Options?   Currently no gluten-free pasta or pizza crusts but might develop one in the future.


Comfortable with Nut-allergic Patrons?
Yes, our staff is very well trained and very passionate about accommodating all guests and their allergies.
 

Dedicated Fryer?  No, we only have one fryer therefore suggest against fried foods that must be gluten free.

 
Dedicated allergen-free prep area?  
All prep areas are washed with health department approved cleaners.
We use freshly washed equipment prior to cooking dishes with specific allergies. We change cutting boards, knives, pans and other dishes.  We make sure that all food is prepped on clean surfaces and is not within distance of foods that contain common allergens.  Staff members change gloves prior to preparing an allergen-free meal.  Our kitchen staff is always aware if there is gluten present in spices, and we don’t use tenderizers, caking agents, or roux’s. We do everything in our power to assure that there are no trace of allergens in dishes that require special attention.


Staff Training?

All employees are well trained and informed of the ingredients of all our products and our food allergy practices.  Our wait staff and management understand the potential for a severe reaction and know what to do if something happens.  If an allergen is mistakenly put on a plate, for example, our staff knows that a clean plate must be used and new dish must be made.  Regular refresher training is given to regular staff and new staff is trained.


How many allergen-free patrons do you see each month?
It would be impossible to give an exact number, but there are easily hundreds of people a month who dine with us who have allergies.


Local Sources?  Yes

 
Organic Sources?  Absolutely.


GMO Products?   We use non-GMO sources whenever possible.

Location

www.bistrobellavita.com

44 Grandville Ave. SW • Grand Rapids, MI 49503 - CLICK HERE FOR OUR GOOGLE MAP

616.222.4600 (voice)
616.222.4601 (fax)

info@bistrobellavita.com