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Cassoulet: UK reccos sought


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I caught a rerun of Rick Stein's canal boat series in SW France yesterday and was reminded of my love for this part of the world and its regional dish.

Restaurant wise the best cassoulet I've discovered in the UK is at the Comptoir Gascon, Charterhouse St, EC1 ( appropriately opposite Smithfield's Market).Its run by the same chef as the more upmarket Michelin starred Club Gascon. They've recently given over part of their deli. to a rustic restaurant and charge £12 for the dish.Its received high praise from a number of reviewers including Terry Durack of the Indy newspaper.

Comptoir Gascon sell it as a takeaway for homecooking preserved in jars. (I was surprised to learn from Rick Stein that the Hotel de France in Castelnaudry, one of a number claiming the authentic recipe, prepares the dish in bulk and bottles it for use in its restaurant.)

Do other fans of cassoulet have any reccos of other UK sources of cassoulet (restaurant and jars for home consumption) they would recommend that I try?

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Do other fans of cassoulet have any reccos of other UK sources of cassoulet (restaurant and jars for home consumption) they would recommend that I try?

Why not make it yourself? See the thread '600 year old cassoulete' in the France forum. I posted an easy to do detailed recipe there. My wife actually prefers this recipe to my full blown takes 3 days recipe. Can't think of any ingredient not readily available in the Uk.

Let me know the result.

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Do other fans of cassoulet have any reccos of other UK sources of cassoulet (restaurant and jars for home consumption) they would recommend that I try?

I always load up on the canned stuff whenever I'm in France.

Canned cassoulet and corned beef are my only two tinned sins, lurking at the bottom of the larder waiting for a night when the missus is out and I can have any kind of fast, reheated ghastliness I fancy.

Some canned stuff bears no resemblance to the original food but has a sort of life of its own - I'm thinking particularly about tinned peas and peaches - canned cassoulet also stands up by itself.

I'm trying to pluck up enough courage to smear it on half a baguette and top it with a handful of rocket.

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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Had the cassoulet at Ma Quisine in Kew the other day, at the recommendation of the waiter. It was a comforting lump of stodge that neither disgraced nor bettered the standard available in every French market town. It's not worth crossing town for. But it's definitely worth stopping by post the physical/emotional strain of Kew Gardens/The National Archives (delete as applicable).

As for retail, try Moen & Sons in SW3 for the real stuff. It's closer than Paris, and the staff are marginally more approachable.

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Do other fans of cassoulet have any reccos of other UK sources of cassoulet (restaurant and jars for home consumption) they would recommend that I try?

There's a stall at Borough, catty-corner to the Monmouth Coffee Co, next to the beer emporium with the weirdigan dressed as a Belgian monk. They do great tinned stuff cassoulet plus fantastic vac-packed landes duck confit.

If you're not in London, of course, this information will be worse than useless but, hey, I tried.

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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They do great tinned stuff cassoulet plus fantastic vac-packed landes duck confit.

If you're not in London, of course, this information will be worse than useless but, hey, I tried.

Far from useless, you've just answered a question of mine. Walking past the stall last week I wondered if it was any good. :rolleyes:

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Stevie, La Boheme is now Aquavit (http://www.aquavit.co.uk/). Still owned by the same people I think but now operating a French-Swedish-European-whatever set-up. I haven't seen a cassoulet on their menu in all the 12 years I've lived here unfortunately. I've been a couple of times but neither occasion blew me away.

Regarding the huge jars, I've just bought one back from SW France with duck confit and sausage in. Do I just bung it in a pot and stick in the oven for half an hour? (and add breadcrumbs? I know this is a contentious issue)

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