Classic Cassoulet: Stick-to-Your-Ribs Good

This classic French comfort food seems to be the hot new thing this year. Not only have we seen recipes in several national food magazines, but many of you mentioned it on your list of winter projects - the Kitchn's own editor Dana included! Cassoulet is a lot of work, but the pay off is well worth it.

Cassoulet is perhaps the signature dish from the Languedoc region in southern France. Despite it's reputation, cassoulet isn't really difficult to make, but it does require quite a time commitment. It's a multi-step, multi-day process where each individual element gets cooked separately and then layered into a final casserole.

So set aside a weekend, source out your ingredients, and reward yourself with supremely rich, hearty, and most of all, comforting French dish!

• The Confit - This can be either duck or goose confit, but confit you must make! It adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the final dish, and cassoulet just wouldn't be the same without it.

• The Pork - This is usually shoulder or some other lean cut. It gets braised slowly until absolutely succulent and fork-tender, and then it's cut into bite sized pieces before going into the cassoulet.

• The Sausage - As if the confit and the pork weren't enough, you get to add some sausage too! Brownie points if you make your own, but given everything else you've got going on, there's no shame in buying it from the butcher!

• The Beans - Classically, cassoulet is made with white beans cooked separately with herbs and sometimes a ham hock or bacon. Go for a creamy variety like great northern or cannelini.

• Tomato Sauce - Sometimes this is made along with the pork braise, but it can also be made separately. This will be the main cooking liquid for the casserole - as well as the only veggies you're going to get!

• The Cassoulet - By the time you get to this step, the cassoulet is easy! You just spoon a layer of the beans and tomatoes into the bottom of a casserole dish or dutch oven, add a layer of meat, and top with the rest of the beans and tomatoes. A breadcrumb topping gives the final dish some crunch. Bake until bubbly and enjoy. And about time!

Still with us?! Ready to attempt your own?! Here are a few recipes to help you through:

• Cassoulet of White Beans, Braised Pork, Sausage, and Duck Confit from Fine Cooking - pick up a copy of their Feb/March 2010 issue for full details and pictures.
• Toulouse-Style Cassoulet from Food & Wine
• Thomas Keller's Slow Cooker Cassoulet from Williams Sonoma
• Quick Cassoulet from Jamie Oliver

Have you ever made cassoulet? Any pointers?

(Image: Jamie Oliver)

Comments (22)

I saw that recipe in Fine Cooking. But seriously, 8 duck legs to make confit?! I think I'll go with Jamie's recipe instead.

yum! I've been dying to make cassoulet

Jacques Pepin has a "Fast Food My Way" cassoulet that sounds delicious (you should watch him make it in 30 minutes on the show). I have been meaning to make it for two years, and I think I will in 2010.

I don't have the stamina to make the real thing - I have always had cassoulet at a restaurant.

Ok, I was wrong only 4 duck legs.

I would make this for a special occasion dinner when a bunch of people were coming over.

I do love Fine Cooking.

James Beard's recipe is the one my hubby uses. Makes a wonderfully huge amount that you can savor, day after day.

I made Julia's once. I think it took two days to pull off. So so very good, but never again! I might try Pepin's version some time.

@verily, That's been my experience with the only Julia Child recipe I've ever made: Delicious, but never again.

Duck confit sounds like fun to make, to me. The Cassoulet sounds a bit rich, but maybe for company.

I made Julia's for New Year's Eve. Oh dear, a good learning experience and yes, two days of babysitting the dish switched off with active cooking.
I took a wrong turn somewhere, as in the end it turned out like adult babyfood (Jr's First Sausage?). Those that ate it that night said it was good, yet the husband tells me for the amount of energy expended it wasn't spectacular.

My cooking skills are still getting up to speed, so this was another notch in the belt, but I can't say I will be repeating the recipe in any near future.

Is the confit they sell at fancy grocery stores an acceptable substitute for making the real thing, or is it just an expensive waste of money?

So where do you get the 4 cups of duck fat to cook the duck in? from the duck itself? or do you buy it?

@Sean P. - Yes, I've seen confit at high-end food stores and butcher shops, and think it would be fine to use if you don't want to make it yourself. It does tend to be expensive though, doesn't it?!

@acushla - Buy the extra duck fat from the butcher. They usually sell it in tubs. If you have trouble finding it (or enough of it), you can probably substitute lard.

I love projects, but this is one of those foods that is worth getting in a good restaurant. I have no desire to make something that takes 2 days when I can drive 30 minutes and have a fabulous one brought to me for not that much more money. I'm never going to make my own dim sum, and I can't really see making this, either.

This is the kind of dish that you can a special event around. Can't help but put a wheel-barrow of love into this one.

As a Frenchie with roots from close to Castelnaudary (the real home of cassoulet!), I will tell you this: No one in my large family ever undertakes making cassoulet because a small, local factory makes awesome, like home-made (no shady ingredients) cassoulet that they sell canned. It is called La Belle Chaurienne. If you ever go to France, you can find it in some Monoprix supermarkets (they are all over France) ... and you can bring some back to the U.S. with you -- tinned foods are ok with customs. I've brought back many a tin with me back to NY, no problem..

I've wanted to make one ever since we moved to Europe almost 3 years ago. The more exposure I have to French culture, the more I feel that I must do it as traditionally as possible. Right now I am trying to track down an authentic cassole, from Poterie Not Freres:

http://www.savoirvivreutensils.com/cassole.html

If you understand French, check out this site, which has a traditional recipe, and explains the equipment and ingredients:

http://www.ville-castelnaudary.fr/fr/multipage.xml?pg=1&id=134662

If you find yourself in Paris, the best cassoulet to be found is at the little unassuming restaurant called "Aux Produits du Sud Ouest" (21 rue Odessa, 75014 Paris 14ème, France ), walking distance from the Tour Eiffel. They also sell what you need to make cassoulet and other regional foods.

Just wanted to mention that the Paula Wolfert recipe is reputed to be the best, but I hope the French site I linked to shows just how simple it really is -- it is all about the ingredients and tools.

(as much as I love Jamie Oliver, that is no cassoulet -- those are bangers and beans, inspired by cassoulet!)

I made cassoulet last year, and it was very, very good. It was all made a bit easier by buying a "kit" from my organic box scheme, which also does meat. Everything I needed to make it - from the confit to the beans to the breadcrumbs and even the bay leaves was included! So I had the sense of satisfaction of doing it from scratch, without having to source everything individually.