The first time I had cassoulet was at Boulevardier in Dallas, TX and I was completely blown away. Layers of duck, sausage, a hearty ragout, and beans make this the comfort meal to end all comfort meals. This classic cassoulet recipe takes no shortcuts and requires a little planning, but every step is totally doable, even if you’re not a pro. It’s definitely an occasion where you will want to break out the largest pot in your kitchen.
Although there are numerous versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it is traditionally baked in, the cassole, which is often shaped like a wide inverted cone to ensure the greatest amount of luscious crust. This version includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse.
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Cassoulet
Course: EntreesCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
- Duck Confit:
6 6 duck legs
1 cup 1 salt
1/2 cup 1/2 sugar
1 1 bay leaf
10 sprigs 10 thyme
10 sprigs 10 parsley
10 10 black peppercorns
duck fat, to cover
- Cassoulet:
6 cups 6 white beans, such as cannellini
1 1 bouquet garni (bundle of herbs tied together)
4 oz 4 pork skin
1 stalk 1 celery
1 1 carrot, peeled
1 1 onion, halved
1 1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup 1/2 canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp 1/2 quatre épices (black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg)
2 tbsp 2 duck fat
8 oz 8 slab bacon, diced into large cubes
1/2 cup 1/2 duck confit
1 1/2 lbs 1 1/2 sausage, such as a Toulouse-style garlic sausage
5 cloves 5 garlic, sliced
sherry vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Duck Confit:
- Add the dry ingredients and herbs to a food processor and process until it has a paste-like consistency. Rub the duck legs with this mixture and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Wash the brine off the duck legs and pat dry. Place the duck legs in an ovenproof container deep enough to be covered by duck fat. They must remain submerged under the duck fat. Cook the submerged legs at 250° for about 4 hours, or until fork tender.
- Cassoulet:
- Soak the white beans overnight. When you’re ready to prepare the cassoulet, drain the beans and discard the water. Combine the beans, bouquet garnie, pork skin, celery, carrot, onion, tomatoes, and quatre épices in a large pot. Cover with water by 1 inch and simmer until the beans are just starting to get tender. The beans will cook mostly in the oven with the remaining ingredients.
- In a large Dutch oven, sear the bacon, duck confit, and sausages in the duck fat. Remove the meat from the Dutch oven and caramelize the garlic and sliced onion in the remaining fat. Add the softened pork skin from the beans to the onions and garlic. At this point, purée the caramelized onions, garlic, and pork skin in a blender. You’ll likely need to add a little of the cooking liquid from the beans. Add the bean mixture to the Dutch oven with the purée and all the reserved seared meat.
- Bake the mixture uncovered at 300°F for about 2 hours. Make sure it is not drying out. Check it every 30 minutes. If it looks dry, add a little water. After the beans are cooked through and have thickened, season with a little sherry vinegar and salt and pepper.
- Remove the remaining duck legs from the fat. Place on a flat baking tray and bake at 400˚F for 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp.
- Use the broiler to caramelize the top of the cassoulet. Top the dish with the crispy duck legs and serve.
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