Amazing CASSOULET made from scratch
This Cassoulet recipe is an absolute triumph of French cooking, bringing together a riot of flavors that simply erupt in your mouth. The dish's powerhouse, the white beans, are tenderly cooked with traditional, flavorful accompaniments like pork belly, ham, and an array of fresh herbs, creating a base that's deeply comforting and rich in layers of taste. When you spoon into this dish, the beans give way to surprises of pork, sausages, and oh-so-delicious duck confit, which just take the meal to another level. And let's not forget about the Duck Confit! It's marinated with thyme, garlic, orange zest and slow-cooked in its own fat until it's meltingly tender. You simply can't get more luxurious than that.
But what makes this recipe truly special is not just the harmonious medley of flavors, but also its roots in traditional French cuisine. Cassoulet, named after the cassole, the pot it's cooked in, is a rustic, slow-cooked casserole originating in the south of France. It's a symbol of French country cooking at its finest, an homage to patience and the art of layering flavors. Making this dish might seem like a labor of love, with its different components, but each part is straightforward, and the result is incredibly rewarding. It's a hearty, filling, and satisfying dish that's perfect for sharing with friends and family on cold winter nights. It's recipes like this that remind you why you fell in love with cooking in the first place. So, crank up your favorite tunes, roll up your sleeves, and let's make some Cassoulet! 🤘🏼 AdamDisclaimer: I apologize in advance for any mispronunciations. My French is non-existent. 🤘🏻 Adam
Stuff that I Use:
Amazing CASSOULET (French Bean & Meat Casserole)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the Duck Confit: Start by rubbing the duck legs with 3 tsp of kosher salt, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, 6 crushed garlic cloves, and the zest from half an orange. Leave this to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. The next day, preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Rinse off the seasonings from the duck legs and place them in a deep baking dish. Melt enough duck fat to fully submerge the duck legs and pour it over them. Cook in the oven for about 5-6 hours, until the meat is tender and fully cooked. Let the duck legs cool to room temperature while still submerged in their fat.
- Prepare the Beans: Soak the white beans in a large bowl of water overnight. The next day, create a herb sachet by wrapping the thyme, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth and tying it securely. In a large pot, layer the pork belly, ham, soaked and drained beans, halved onion, halved carrot, halved tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add the herb sachet to the pot. Season everything with the kosher salt, duck fat, and red wine vinegar. Finally, pour in the chicken stock until it's about an inch above the beans. Bring the pot to a simmer and let it cook until the beans are tender.
- Crisp Up the Duck Confit: Take the cooled duck legs and place them under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. Keep a close eye on them to ensure they don't burn.
- Sauté Additional Meat: In a large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp of duck fat along with a little neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork ribs and Toulouse sausages to the pan, along with an additional 3 sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves. Cook until all sides of the meat are nicely browned.
- Assemble and Cook the Cassoulet: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Start by layering the sautéed meat at the bottom of a large Dutch oven. On top of this, add the cooked beans. Pour over enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Bake the cassoulet in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Press and Pour: After 30 minutes, remove the cassoulet from the oven and gently press down on the beans to compress everything. Pour over a bit more of the bean cooking liquid, but not enough to cover the beans - they should just be moistened. Repeat this step every 30 minutes for about 1.5-2 hours, or until the top layer of beans is crispy and golden.
- Prepare the Pork: Cut the pork shoulder and fatback into 1-inch cubes and place them in a large bowl. The meat and fat should be very cold, but not frozen, to make the grinding process easier.
- Season the Meat: Add the minced garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg to the bowl with the meat. Pour in the dry white wine and brandy, then mix everything together until the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
- Grind the Meat: Using a meat grinder, grind the seasoned meat and fat into a large bowl set in a larger bowl of ice. This helps keep the meat cold during the grinding process, which is essential for proper sausage making.
- Prepare the Casings: Rinse the natural hog casings in warm water and run some water through them to make sure they're clean and open.
- Stuff the Sausages: Attach the sausage stuffer to your meat grinder. Slide one end of the casing onto the tube of the stuffer, then push the entire length of the casing onto the tube, leaving about 6 inches overhanging at the end. Start feeding the ground meat into the grinder and into the casing, being careful to not overstuff the casing. Twist the sausages into links every 6 inches.
- Cook or Store the Sausages: You can cook the sausages immediately, or store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. To cook them, heat some oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the sausages until browned on all sides and cooked through.
Adam's Notes
Example Workflow:
Day 1 - Make Toulouse sausage, fabricate duck, render duck fat and prepare/season duck legs for confit.
Day 2 - Make duck confit, pre-soak beans.
Day 3 - Finish crisping confit, cook beans, build and finish the final cassoulet.
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