350 replies to this topic

[Jensen]

I've reconsidered making my cassoulet.

I had to choose between yummy duck fatty food (i.e., the cassoulet) and maintaining my weight loss. Weight loss won out.

So, I'm going to have to wait until the next cook-off. (Of course, I'm assuming that we'd all like this to be a regular thing.)

Chrisamirault...what's on the books for February?

[fryguy]

A "Toulouse-style sausage", as well as a bunch of other sausages, is available from:


http://www.frenchsel...dhunt.hts G540

Edited to say, I'm not affiliated, nor have I eaten the sausage in question.

Edited by fryguy, 30 December 2004 - 12:48 PM.

[little ms foodie]

alright! duck legs are confit'd (is that a word?) and beans are soaking overnight!

I'm a bit short on duck fat. Do you think I can use a little bit of the fat that is holding the duck legs? I really don't want to go buy more! The fat was used to cook them and is now storing them in the fridge.

Also I have been reading the duck confit thread and it's interesting that the times for duck confit are slow and low where as in the Les Halles book it was 1 hour at 350F. Any comments from those who normally make either?

[fou de Bassan]

Inspired by this thread, I am now about halfway through the process. I am sticking to the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. So, no duck or goose as I only had about one leg worth of confit in the fridge, although I might throw that in fwiw. The pork and mutton are cooked and cut up and waiting in cold storage as are the beans. The house smelled incredible today. Tomorrow the sausages and lamb in stock then final assembly and baking on Saturday.

Little ms.foodie, I do not have les halles and so cannot say anything about that method. I have always found the low and slow method to give reliably unctuous results.

Chrisamirault, thanks for proposing this dish, you made me do something about this constant craving for cassoulet.

[Chris Amirault]

I'm a bit short on duck fat. Do you think I can use a little bit of the fat that is holding the duck legs? I really don't want to go buy more! The fat was used to cook them and is now storing them in the fridge.

Also I have been reading the duck confit thread and it's interesting that the times for duck confit are slow and low where as in the Les Halles book it was 1 hour at 350F. Any comments from those who normally make either?

I urge you to visit the confit thread, where Paula Wolfert has dropped by to provide a slew of useful answers to just these sorts of questions. My sense is that the texture of the confit depends very much on maintaining a low cooking temperature for quite a while, which would make 1 hr at 350F too fast and hot. Perhaps this is one of the cut corners to which Chef B refers in his introductions to the recipes?

[Chris Amirault]

Made the sausages today. I used the basic proportions from Aidell's meat book and the tips from Culinary Bear. It turned into an exhausting process just shopping for everything; I couldn't find butt and had to settle for a whole pork shoulder, which required trimming and boning.

So here are the basic ingredients, with about 2 lb ground pork meat and a bit under 1/2 lb of ground fat; some thyme, salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander; five minced garlic cloves and a minced onion, sauteed in a bit of duck fat and cooled.



And here's a blurry (sorry!) shot of the stuffing process, for which I used the KitchenAid attachment.



That went really well, but was time consuming, and I'm a bit afraid that there's air in the sausages.... But I'm just a nervous nelly about this process, increasingly.

Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that my gently simmering confit is going to be ok -- that has me stressed out, too. I keep fantasizing about old French men wearing strange hats tasting my casoulet and deeming it "Merde!"

Happy New Year! More in 2005.

[little ms foodie]

beans, pork belly, pork rind and aromatics are simmering on the stove in preparation for tomorrows meal. I'm doing this before I head out to a party later, probably will smell like pork. I'm sure I'll be a hit with all the guys! haha!

[Chris Amirault]

Well, the house is now suffused with a heady, seductive, almost sexual aroma that I can't particularly describe -- garlic and fat and duck roasted into some sort of savory ambrosia? -- which makes the last three days of rather obsessive cooking worth it, let me tell you! I was beginning to lose faith last night.... Now all that's left are three hours tonight and another three or four tomorrow, breaking the crust regularly.

Here's the method I used, which basically combined aspects of Les Halles with Saveur Cooks Authentic French.

Using LH, I cooked up a few ham hocks with an onion and aromatics until they were tender:



I also cooked the beans, which soaked last night, with two strips of fat back from the shoulder, the huge bone from same, and aromatics, in diluted duck stock (from the frame the other day):



Then I used some of the duck/pork fat to sautee the sausage, to which I added (following Saveura puree of water, onion, and a full head of garlic:



Here's what the duck confit looked like before I boned it, trying to keep it in big chunks:



And when it was all done this afternoon, here was the mise en place for cassoulet assembly (note the Diet Coke off to the left, a pathetic attempt, along with some celery and carrot sticks, to feel as if I'm preparing to eat something other than, well, cassoulet):



Layer one of the cassoulet, beans and sliced fat back:



Layer two of the cassoulet, with the chunks of ham hock and the sausage:



Layer three of the cassoulet, the onion/garlic puree and the confit:



Layer four of the cassoulet, the rest of the beans and cooking liquid just barely to cover:



I then put it in the oven for an hour at 350F, and turned it down for about three more at 250F, keeping it moist. Then it'll cool, then into the fridge, and then back in the oven tomorrow morning.

Dinner tomorrow around 12 noon for the three of us and two friends. I don't know if I'll have a chance to get to a liquor store, so I might have to tempt the wrath of the cassoulet gods and serve a nice Chianti I've got. Still hoping to find some decent frisee for a salad.

How are others doing? Little ms foodie, how's it going??

[little ms foodie]

hey chris, your pictures are great!! And you are way less messy than me!

my cassoulet cooked yesterday and today will go back in around 6:30 so we can eat it!

I left the duck legs whole as that is how I've had it served to me, I also had to add a bit of water to my bean liquid as I didn't have quite enough.

I've also found that I need a new big Le Cruiset pot!

[Wolfert]

I agree that the confit of duck leg with bone-in looks a lot better than cut up and scattered about in the cassoulet. In restaurants and at photo shoots that is standard.

In the home, I never saw a cassole (the earthenware dish used to bake the cassoulet) large enough to accomodate enough confit of bone-in duck to serve 8, 10 or 12.

[fou de Bassan]

The cassoulet was fabulous! We fed 8 adults and 4 kids, sent people home with extra and still have leftovers We started with kir, drank Gigondas and Pauillac with the meal and finished with coffee and quince brandy. With a big green salad and strudel for dessert it was absolutely the best way to start the new year. The aroma of the cassoulet filled the house. After we had left the table, one guy kept excusing himself. We wondered why until we found him filching from the pot on the counter! His value went way up in my eyes, anyway, as I took it as a compliment. We ate at one and are still full. Bon appétit to all those who have yet to enjoy their meals!

[little ms foodie]

My husband had never had cassoulet......he is a convert. I got many kisses and "this is sooooo good" at dinner tonight.



Didn't have a damn French wine in the cellar so we had a 10 year old Cristom Pinot Noir, excellent.

The only thing was my duck confit was a bit salty. Will read thru the duck confit thread and make some notes. The Les Halles book has received its christening grease stains.

And the best part......we have leftover too! Lunch tomorrow

[Chris Amirault]

I agree that the confit of duck leg with bone-in looks a lot better than cut up and scattered about in the cassoulet. In restaurants and at photo shoots that is standard.

In the home, I never saw a cassole (the earthenware dish used to bake the cassoulet) large enough to accomodate enough confit of bone-in duck to serve 8, 10 or 12.

That was my sense, too. In many photos I perused, home cooks (and, it seems, those persnickety men in France themselves) boned the confit, for diners' ease.

I tried to break each piece of confit into two (as per Bourdain), and in doing so some pieces flaked a bit. I also wasn't about to let pieces stick to the bones just for style!

[Chris Amirault]

The cassoulet was fabulous!  We fed 8 adults and 4 kids, sent people home with extra and still have leftovers   We started with kir, drank Gigondas and Pauillac with the meal and finished with coffee and quince brandy.  With a big green salad and strudel for dessert it was absolutely the best way to start the new year.    The aroma of the cassoulet filled the house.  After we had left the table, one guy kept excusing himself.  We wondered why until we found him filching from the pot on the counter!  His value went way up in my eyes, anyway, as I took it as a compliment.  We ate at one and are still full.  Bon appétit to all those who have yet to enjoy their meals!

That's fantastic! Can you tell us more about what recipe you used and what you put in it?

[Chris Amirault]

My husband had never had cassoulet......he is a convert. I got many kisses and "this is sooooo good" at dinner tonight.



Didn't have a damn French wine in the cellar so we had a 10 year old Cristom Pinot Noir, excellent.

The only thing was my duck confit was a bit salty. Will read thru the duck confit thread and make some notes. The Les Halles book has received its christening grease stains.

And the best part......we have leftover too! Lunch tomorrow 

It looks fantastic! What kind of sausage did you use? And other ingredients? Do tell!

I must say I love those plates!

[fou de Bassan]

Chrisamirault, I ued the recipe from MAstering the Art of french Cooking. Basically lots of pork in different forms, mutton, garlic and a tiny bit of leftover duck confit. And beans, lots of beans! The crust btw was delicious! I am anxious to see more of your photos.

[little ms foodie]

It looks fantastic! What kind of sausage did you use? And other ingredients? Do tell!

I must say I love those plates!

The sausage was a nice pork sausage from a local butcher, not Italian as we talked about the dish and both felt that the seasonings would get in the way. It's just a nice brat.

Duck confit was made with Muscovoys as that is what was available to me. I will search out the other kinds for my next try.

Pork belly and pork rind were used. The beans were Great Northerns. I followed Bourdin's recipe.

And although it looks like it is in dishes, these are actually wide low bowls (pasta bowls) perfect for stews and the like!

[bleudauvergne]

My husband had never had cassoulet......he is a convert. I got many kisses and "this is sooooo good" at dinner tonight.



Didn't have a damn French wine in the cellar so we had a 10 year old Cristom Pinot Noir, excellent.

The only thing was my duck confit was a bit salty. Will read thru the duck confit thread and make some notes. The Les Halles book has received its christening grease stains.

And the best part......we have leftover too! Lunch tomorrow 

It looks fantastic! What kind of sausage did you use? And other ingredients? Do tell!

I must say I love those plates!

Wendy, it really looks just wonderful.

[little ms foodie]

I just got home and had a small bit of cassoulet- 1 sausage and some beans and some pork belly. How is it possible that #1- something that looks like such a mess tastes soooo good? and #2- it is actually even better today, day 3. My cat has also decided it is her new favorite dish ( a few days ago she thought foie was, haha!)

Wendy

[LaurieA-B]

I enjoyed cassoulet at an egulleter's home on New Year's Day, and so did my one-year-old daughter. Turns out cassoulet is ideal baby food. Tender, flavorful meats and soft beans. She's eaten beans and duck separately often during the last few months, and could hardly get enough of the cassoulet. So, if you have small children, cassoulet is the way to go. And while the baby wouldn't be ready to eat it yet, I think cassoulet or just duck confit would be an excellent food gift to new parents.

[andiesenji]

Actually there are so many versions of cassoulet, I see no reason why you couldn't do one that is pork free.

See the one here.

And in the article about the cassoulet "war" there is a mention that "only" duck and goose is used.
as noted here.

On another thread regarding cassoulet I mentioned a couple of friends, both French, both passionate about cassoulet and always arguing about which makes the more "authenctic" version.
She is from Dauphin and makes duck sausage, heavy on the garlic and spices and uses no pork at all. She uses both duck and goose but the only beans she will use are flagolet, which I happen to grow for use both green and dried. They seem to do particularly well here in the desert and I routinely have a heavy crop.

I have to confess that I too have made a cassoulet that is nowhere near what is usually considered authentic because I used a combination of duck and pheasant since I had several phesant legs to use up, having prepared the breasts for the hunter that shot them.
(It was very good.)

Edited by andiesenji, 02 January 2005 - 06:02 PM.

[Chris Amirault]

So, yesterday, after an additional four hours in the oven (and several ceremonial breakings of the crust), I served the following:



It was a howling success. The beans were velvety and creamy, suffused with the flavors of the meats. Meanwhile, the meats had all been braised to the point of a miraculous tenderness, particularly the sausage, which crumbled deliciously in my mouth.

Some notes:

-- It seems to be a truly multi-generational dish. As LaurieA-B said, it's perfect baby food: our 18 month old friend, Chloe, loved every bite. But even my seven year old, Lulu, kept going back for more. (The adults swooned -- mais oui!)

-- If I would make one particular change chosen among many (including getting the right cuts of pork, confiting the duck more effectively, and confiting the right kind of duck), I would add more liquid, particularly toward the end of the first baking and then throughout the second. It wasn't really dry, but it was just this side of less-than-moist; I was so afraid of making soupy baked beans (born and raised in suburban Boston, I know what those are like) that I think I erred a tad.

-- Whither bread crumbs? I cannot imagine why you'd want or need them. Does anyone have a recipe with bread crumbs?

-- Bourdain is right about fat: it undergoes an amazing transformation in this dish, as do the beans because of it. A bite with a bit of confit, a wee pile of beans, and a small clot of pork fat back (no longer distinguishable as such) was absolutely heavenly.

Leftovers remain, of course! Tonight we larbed to regain some semblance of gastronomical balance, but I think cassoulet is on tap for the morrow.

[little ms foodie]

Chris, you and I are just cassoulet and larbing are way to a great year hu?

I also will add more liquid, I thought some parts of the top of mine was a tad dry.

I had one last lunch of it today...and was thinking about the fat thing too....lord how this stuff melts and turns things heavenly!

Your picture is awesome!!!

[Chris Amirault]

Had the leftover cassoulet last night for dinner. It was really, really wonderful. I had to add a bit of water into the pot and cover it while it reheated in the oven.

Anyone else getting a cassoulet cracking?

[Wolfert]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cassoulet. I'm so jealous sitting here sniffling with a cold and wishing I had the energy to prepare one.

-- Whither bread crumbs? I cannot imagine why you'd want or need them. Does anyone have a recipe with bread crumbs?

In Toulouse, it is the only way to top a cassoulet. It is, and was, absolutely necessary to the making of the dish to create a crust. Years ago, it was traditional to send the filled cassole to the local bread oven for baking. YOu can imagine that in the center of town it would have been rare for locals to have their own bread oven. Thus you couldn't possibly break the skin up to 7 times. On the other hand, in the mountainous regions around Carcassone, everyone had their own baker's oven and they could push the cassole around and get at it in order to break up the crust.

Both methods make great cassoulets. For example, yours looked wonderful.

FYI:when and if you ever use an earthenware cassole and the hearthkit oven now available at sur la table, (This clay inset replaces the steamy bakers oven ) you could try either method with great success.

Edited by Wolfert, 06 January 2005 - 12:41 PM.

[Chris Amirault]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cassoulet. I'm so jealous sitting here sniffling with a cold and wishing I had the energy to prepare one.

I'm sorry! If it was better, I'd send the last frozen chunk to you Fed Ex! I'm afraid it might not pass muster, however.... Perhaps a more confident eGullet chef can zip some our sick friend's way!

-- Whither bread crumbs? I cannot imagine why you'd want or need them. Does anyone have a recipe with bread crumbs?

In Toulouse that is the only way to top a cassoulet. It is and was absolutely necessary to the making of cassoulet. Years ago, it was traditional to send the filled cassole to the local bread oven for baking. You couldn't possibly break the skin up to 7 times.

While in mountainous regions around Carcassone you had your own baker's oven and you could afford to push the cassole around and get at it in order to break up the crust.

They are both good.

So the idea is to embed the crunchy texture of the toasted crumbs or crusty top into the beans for toothiness? Makes sense to me -- I hadn't thought of texture. The crust has such astonishing flavor (see my photo above; it got very brown on the edges, just amazing) that I had focused on that.

[Wolfert]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cassoulet. I'm so jealous sitting here sniffling with a cold and wishing I had the energy to prepare one.

I'm sorry! If it was better, I'd send the last frozen chunk to you Fed Ex! I'm afraid it might not pass muster, however.... Perhaps a more confident eGullet chef can zip some our sick friend's way!

-- Whither bread crumbs? I cannot imagine why you'd want or need them. Does anyone have a recipe with bread crumbs?

In Toulouse that is the only way to top a cassoulet. It is and was absolutely necessary to the making of cassoulet. Years ago, it was traditional to send the filled cassole to the local bread oven for baking. You couldn't possibly break the skin up to 7 times.

While in mountainous regions around Carcassone you had your own baker's oven and you could afford to push the cassole around and get at it in order to break up the crust.

They are both good.

So the idea is to embed the crunchy texture of the toasted crumbs or crusty top into the beans for toothiness? Makes sense to me -- I hadn't thought of texture. The crust has such astonishing flavor (see my photo above; it got very brown on the edges, just amazing) that I had focused on that.

no, not quite. I was unclear. It is either you make a crust with breadcrumbs and don't touch it at all, or you nurse the top by breaking up the crust each time it forms up to seven enriching the liquid below. Both are good, but different. Check on my edited note above on using the hearthkit. You can then see the difference


ANd thanks for the offer of fedexing some this way. I'll take a raincheck. It sounds too good an offer not to miss.

Edited by Wolfert, 06 January 2005 - 12:54 PM.

[Chris Amirault]

So the idea is to embed the crunchy texture of the toasted crumbs or crusty top into the beans for toothiness? Makes sense to me -- I hadn't thought of texture. The crust has such astonishing flavor (see my photo above; it got very brown on the edges, just amazing) that I had focused on that.

no, not quite. I was unclear. It is either you make a crust with breadcrumbs and don't touch it at all, or you nurse the top by breaking up the crust each time it forms up to seven enriching the liquid below. Both are good, but different. Check on my edited note above on using the hearthkit. You can then see the differe[nce.]

Ah, yes, I see now. Thanks!

[Busboy]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cassoulet. I'm so jealous sitting here sniffling with a cold and wishing I had the energy to prepare one.

-- Whither bread crumbs? I cannot imagine why you'd want or need them. Does anyone have a recipe with bread crumbs?

In Toulouse, it is the only way to top a cassoulet. It is, and was, absolutely necessary to the making of the dish to create a crust. Years ago, it was traditional to send the filled cassole to the local bread oven for baking. YOu can imagine that in the center of town it would have been rare for locals to have their own bread oven. Thus you couldn't possibly break the skin up to 7 times. On the other hand, in the mountainous regions around Carcassone, everyone had their own baker's oven and they could push the cassole around and get at it in order to break up the crust.

Both methods make great cassoulets. For example, yours looked wonderful.

FYI:when and if you ever use an earthenware cassole and the hearthkit oven now available at sur la table, (This clay inset replaces the steamy bakers oven ) you could try either method with great success.

Speaking of Toulouse, do you have an opinion on what constitutes a "saucisse de Toulouse" besides stuffing the casing without twisting off links and coiling it like a rope for display and, one assumes, cooking? Nothing I've been able to find on line has been more specific than pork, wine (some), and spices, and the coiling thing. The French recipes I've found don't even call for spicing the pork. Any insight or educated guess you had would be gratefull received.

Edited by Busboy, 06 January 2005 - 12:54 PM.

[Eden]

Is it possible that the dryness a few of you are experiencing is one of the reasons why some recipes add lamb ragout to the cassoulet - to make it moister? Or is it just the Bourdain recipe? I've used two completely different types of beans in my cassoulet with no noticable change in moisture so I don't think the bean type would be the issue.

I'm so looking forward to making this year's cassoulet after reading this & the duck confit thread! It's good to have a place to share with other people who enjoy boiling duck in fat my friends who rate high enough to get fed cassoulet all love to eat the end product, but really they don't want to hear the details. (cowards!) Hopefully we'll have a digital camera again by then & I can take photos!

Eden