Yum! Make delicious cassoulet, bon vivant beignets

Stem the figs and place in a non-reactive sauce pot with sugar, vanilla beans, and cinnamon stick. Cook on low heat until figs have fallen apart. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and let cool. Pass through food mill. Roast pecans in oven at 350 degrees F ten minutes. Pulse in blender while warm with slow drizzle of peanut oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Assemble sandwiches with jelly on one slice and foie on other. Pan-fry with clarified butter until golden brown. Cut off the crust of brioche, then cut on bias from corners, season with maldron sea salt and serve.

Stir together warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Whip eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Add egg mix and yeast together. Add 3 cups of the flour to the egg/yeast and stir until combined. Add the butter and continue to stir while folding in the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F and add the confectioners' sugar to a bowl with wire basket. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Fry until golden in color. Drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss in basket with confectioners' sugar.

Re-hydrate your beans overnight in water. The next day, drain the beans and discard the water. Place beans in pot, salt, cover with veal stock and water and add rosemary. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce to a simmer (cook time approximately 1 ½-2 hours).

In a separate sauce pot begin to sweat the mirepoix and garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add salt to taste. Stir constantly cooking over medium low heat, covered will help speed up the process. When the mirepoix begins to soften and before it caramelizes add the tomato paste. Stir constantly until the tomato paste has become viscous. At this point add in the red wine and cook until most has evaporated. Remove from heat and hold.

When the beans are cooked nearly 75 percent the way through add the duck fat and the cooked mirepoix mixture. Continue cooking beans until tender, there should still be some liquid leftover, stew-like but not soupy (as you cook you may have to add water or stock during the process).

For the duck confit, rinse the duck legs and dry well. Heavily salt and “press” overnight. The next day gently rinse excess salt. Place in a roasting pan with peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, juniper, and cover with duck fat. Cover roasting pan with lid or aluminum foil. Place in a preheated oven at 250 degrees. Cook for 2.5 to 3 hours. When the duck is finished it can be kept in its fat for storage. Upon serving clean the duck for any adhering aromatics.  Gently remove the thigh bone with hand. Place under a broiler in a hot pan to crisp up the skin.

To make the bread crumbs, heat butter in a sauté pan over medium flame. Add bread crumbs and herbs, gently toast stirring constantly

Cassoulet finishing: Take your finished cassoulet bean mixture and reheat adding in sliced sausage. Place warm cassoulet into the serving dish filling halfway. Take the finished duck confit (warm) and rest overtop of the bean mixture. Cover the duck with more of the cassoulet bean mixture until only the leg bone is visable. Top with persilade and place in 400 degree oven for 2-3 minutes to finish toasting the persilade. Remove from oven and garnish with minced parsley.