NEW ORLEANS —
Countryside Cassoulet
1 ½ Tbsp. lard or butter
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry and lightly seasoned with Creole seasoning or kosher salt
1 lb. fresh sausage, uncooked
½ lb. thick-cut Bacon or pork belly, cut into 1-inch sections
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1 29-oz. can of cannellini beans, drained
4 cups chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh soft bread crumbs from a baguette
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a 5 ½ quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven, heat lard at medium heat.
Add chicken thigh skin down to the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook for 8 minutes, periodically checking to be sure the skin is not sticking to the pan.
Using tongs, turn the chicken thighs over and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from pan to a plate; set aside.
Add the sausages to the same pan and cook until lightly browned on each side. Remove and set aside.
Add the bacon to the pan. Sauté to render the fat only. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing excess fat to drain back into the pan before setting the bacon aside.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pan fat in the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat scraping all the browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent.
Add the carrots, celery, parsley, herbes de Provence, beans and chicken stock; stir to combine.
Add the bacon to the pot; stir to combine.
Insert the chicken thighs and sausage into the stew so they are covered.
In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs and diced garlic. Sprinkle it evenly over the stew.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, periodically pressing the bread crumbs into the stew which will help thicken it.
Place the stew underneath the broiler to slightly brown the top crumbs and remove from the oven.
Allow to sit for a few minutes, cut sausages into 2-inch pieces stir them back into the stew, and serve
Apricot Cake
1 -15.25 oz. pkg. white cake mix
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 Tbsp. apricot preserves
1 -15 oz. can apricot halves, drained
1 Tbsp. butter
½ cup almonds, slivered
1 -8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. water, or as needed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Grease and flour a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan. Set aside 1/2 cup of the dry cake mix.
Mix together eggs, sour cream, and apricot preserves in a medium bowl. Stir in package of cake mix. Batter will be lumpy. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, make 15 wells in the batter, 3 rows of 5. Beat together cream cheese and milk in another bowl until fluffy. Place a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each well. Place 1 apricot half, cut side up, onto each well of cream cheese.
Combine 1/2 cup reserved cake mix with butter in a small bowl. Stir in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in slivered almonds and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the Danish batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Stir together confectioners' sugar and water until smooth, adding another teaspoon of water if necessary. Drizzle over the Danish when cool.
