. . . and what would you serve it with?
washed down with a bottle of Madiran.
Hmmm. Yeah, thanks. I was kind of wanting to cook it from scratch.
Last time I did it I followed this recipe (in French).
https://www.meilleurduchef.com/fr/recette/cassoulet.html
It's a lot of faff in some respects but turned out well. I've not made it since mind you; I'm too lazy and just buy it premade from the traiteur if I fancy beans and meat (heinz sausage and beans in a can aren't available here sadly)
I drank a bottle of Cahors (malbec) with it I think.
Wow. Nice one. A 66 stage recipe, in French. Now that is a fun day's cooking. I 'll let you know how it goes.
After falling violently ill after eating tinned duck cassoulet during a lads' snowboarding holiday in Morzine, just the mere thought of eating it makes me feel physically sick.
Yack.
@johndow
Yeah, I'm pretty much the same with oysters. Bleugh.
Slater's. We've been making it 10 years and getting slowly fatter as we get older . COINCIDENCE?
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A truly authentic recipe would almost certainly include lamb, but I find it one flavour too many. Even this simplified version is a major piece of cooking. I tend to choose a rainy morning when I have nothing else to do but clear the decks and do some serious cooking.
500g dried white haricot beans
1 onion
1 large carrot
250g unsmoked bacon in the piece, with its fat and skin
2 or 3 bay leaves
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
8-10 whole black peppercorns
a ham bone </span>
For the meats:
4 pieces duck confit, preferably legs
500g boned pork shoulder or leg, cubed
250g bacon in the piece, cut into large dice
4 Toulouse sausages
2 onions, peeled
4 fat cloves of garlic
3 large tomatoes
3 bay leaves
white breadcrumbs
a small quantity melted duck fat</span>
Tip the beans into a deep bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Leave overnight to plump up.
The next day, drain the beans and put them in a large pan. Peel the onion and scrub the carrot, then put them and the bacon in with the beans. Tuck in the bay leaves, add the garlic, the peppercorns and the ham bone. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth that appears on the surface. Turn the heat down to an enthusiastic simmer, then leave for an hour until the beans are almost tender.
Meanwhile, put a couple of tablespoons of fat from the duck confit in a large pan and let it melt over a moderately high heat. Add the cubed pork and fry till the edges are golden. Remove with a draining spoon and set aside. Tip the bacon dice into the pan and fry until the fat is gold, then add to the browned pork.
Cut the sausages in half to give 8 short pieces. Seal them in the fat as you did the pork and remove. Peel and thickly slice the onion and soften in the duck fat, then peel and chop the garlic and the tomatoes and add them to the pan, along with the bay leaves. Return the meats to the pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes, covered, until you have a rich, meaty stew.
Drain the beans and keep the bacon and their cooking liquor. (You can throw the carrot and onion away.) Cut the bacon piece and its rind into thick strips. Lay them in the bottom of a deep earthenware or enamelled cast-iron casserole and cover with some of the beans. Add a layer of the meat and onions, then another layer of beans. Tuck the pieces of duck in among the beans, adding more beans and meat until it is all used up. Top up with any liquid from the meat and some of the cooking liquor from the beans.
Top with half of the breadcrumbs and place in a low oven at 160 C/gas mark 3 for an hour. Stir the breadcrumbs into the cassoulet, then top with the remaining crumbs. Drizzle a little of the bean liquor and some melted duck fat over the crumbs, then return to the oven for a further half hour or so, until the crust is golden. Serves 4, with seconds.
I wouldn't think about eating anything more than a few olives before a cassoulet. There is little else you need with a substantial dish like this.
Afterwards is a different matter. A crisp, white salad of chicory, frisée and watercress with a sharp, simple dressing offers a much-needed, exhilarating freshness. Some form of tropical fruit salad is another option, or simply pass round a plate of halved passionfruits.
This is the confreres recette have to do your own translation though.
http://www.confrerieducassoulet.com/la-recette.html