Not a Cassoulet

Stew

• 2 French garlic sausages
• 2 rashers applewood smoked thick cut bacon, cut into thirds
• 1 duck breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, with skin scored in a criss-cross hatch
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (you do buy it in tubes instead of those incredibly wasteful little cans, don't you?)
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon demi-glace dissolved in 1 cup hot low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 14.5 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
• 1 bay leaf
• big pinch dried Herbes de Provence

Put sausage and 1 pint water in the non-stick insert of your 4 quart Fagor LUX Multi-Cooker (you have gotten one, haven't you?) and set to the browning function. After water comes to a boil, blanch the sausages for 5 minutes. Transfer sausages to a plate. Toss out water and clean insert.

Heat multi-cooker using the browning function. When the light stops flashing, add bacon. (If bacon starts to cook too fast, switch the multi-cooker to the sauté function.)  When bacon is cooked through transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in cooker. Put duck breast in cooker, skin side down. When is skin is golden brown, flip over and cook for 2 minutes. Remove breast from cooker, leaving fat behind. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces. Add to cooker and  sauté until browned on all sides. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of accumulated fat from cooker. Sauté onion and carrots (season with a heavy pinch salt) until they have softened and the onions become translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add wine and reduce by about a third. Add stock, beans, tomatoes, bay leaf, herbs, and sausages. Dice bacon and add half to the cooker, reserving the other half. Remove skin from duck breast and dice. Add meat to cooker (discard skin or make into cracklings.)

Seal cooker (make sure valve is set to pressure). Using pressure function and set to cook 5 minutes. Unplug cooker and do a natural release for 10 minutes. Open valve to release any remaining pressure. Skim off any fat on surface of stew. Season to taste with salt and pressure. 

Serve in large bowls topped with toasted panko garlic bread crumbs.

Bread crumbs

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs

Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer add both minced garlic and garlic powder. Cook 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs and mix well. When crumbs are golden brown remove to a plate and allow to cool.