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My review
Chef John's Cassoulet
Chef John
"Cassoulet takes a lot of time and ingredients (some hard to find) and uses lots of pots and pans. So why make it? That's easy. Cassoulet is one of the most delicious dishes you'll ever have. Plus, it's great for honing your observational skills, since no two cassoulet are the same, and the times I give are only a guide."
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Ingredients
12 h 12 m servings 712 calsOriginal recipe yields 8 servings
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Directions
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Prep
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Cook
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Ready In
- Rinse soaked beans and drain.
- Pour broth into a large pot. Add chopped pancetta, bones from duck confit, and the drained beans. Tie bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, and garlic into a small square of cheesecloth to create the bouquet garni; add to the pot. Stir. Bring to a simmer over high heat; skim foamy scum that forms, if desired. Reduce heat to low until beans are almost tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Sprinkle pork pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; brown the pork pieces, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add sausage to the skillet and cook in the same oil, turning until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut sausages in half and transfer to bowl with pork pieces.
- Remove fat and skin from duck confit and add them to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat until fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Transfer all fat and browned pieces from the skillet to a mixing bowl. Add melted butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chopped parsley; stir until mixture looks like damp sand. Mix in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup broth.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place onions, carrots, and celery in the same skillet used to brown the meats; add pinch of salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until onions are translucent and mixture turns golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook and stir until tomato paste starts to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, 3 or 4 minutes. Pour in white wine; cook and stir until most of the wine evaporates, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain beans over a large bowl to retain all the cooking liquid. Remove bones and bouquet garni.
- Place drained beans in large shallow baking dish or cast iron skillet (about 12 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep). Stir in cooked vegetables and about 1 cup broth. Add pork pieces and distribute evenly among the beans. Top with the shredded duck confit. Nestle the sausage halves into the bean mixture.
- Ladle cooking liquid into the baking dish until beans are nearly submerged. Spread bread crumb mixture evenly over the top but don't press into the liquid. Use your fingertips to make gentle indentations on the crumb surface for better browning.
- Bake in preheated oven until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and create a small "well" in the center of the cassoulet crust. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid (or as needed) into the well to rehydrate mixture. Use a fork to gently poke into the cassoulet to ensure the liquid is fairly evenly distributed but try not to disturb the crusty surface.
- Continue baking until cassoulet surface is crispy and caramelized, the meat is fork tender, and the beans are creamy and tender, about 30 to 45 more minutes.
- Serve in large bowls with a spoonful or 2 of hot cooking liquid. Top with chopped fresh parsley.
Footnotes
- Cook's Note:
- Instead of pancetta, you can use ham, bacon, or salt pork.
- This is traditionally a "poor man's" dish, and would not have nearly the generous supply of rich meats. So, if you want something more authentic, you can cut the meat amounts down by half at least.
- Tip
- Parchment can be used for easier cleanup/removal from the pan.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 712 calories; 28.7 g fat; 64 g carbohydrates; 44.8 g protein; 107 mg cholesterol; 2343 mg sodium. Full nutrition
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Reviews
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4/18/2017
This was wonderful! Served for a French wine tasting dinner. Expensive and time consuming, but so worth it! Wish I could have found more authentic sausages, but found Aidell's garlic and gruy...
3/21/2016
This is a complex recipe and I learned a lot! I used flageolet beans which are smaller than Tarbais, so I kept an eye on them and reduced cooking time. Substituted browned boneless chicken thigh...
1/11/2018
Rock star recipe and yes i used every pan in the kitchen. The local butcher/sausage maker provided the sausage on request. It makes a huge difference. Make the stock in advance, it will save yo...
12/23/2016
This is an amazing recipe...it does take time, but the results are fantastic. Thank you Chef John....you make me look like an amazing chef every time!
9/12/2016
I loved everything about this recipe! What I loved the most is that it extracts and utilizes every bit of flavor from every ingredient and method possible. Bones from the confit? Fat and skin fr...