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fzxdoc You know, I really have to thank you and all the Rancho Gordo peeps bc I don’t think I’ve ever made such flavorful beans before. I just followed the instructions posted on those threads. No wonder I stopped making beans in the past. Scratching my head wondering if I just didn’t use aromatics. Crazy. So delicious and ez.
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Wowza what a cook this recipe will turn out to be! Watching from the sidelines during this busy season.
KathrynComment
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Between the amount of work at this time of year and the cost of accumulating all the ingredients, this is one I will not be trying. Besides, I have other recipes for cassoulet, both involved like this and simplified, that I would rather do than this one.
That being said, and having checked out these Team Cooks in the past, I am wondering what the purpose is for the "team" to follow the proposed recipe as closely as possible. Not that I am against it, just wondering what the reasoning is. Perhaps I have been in one too many "Chili Cookoffs" where there is no expectation of everyone following the same recipe. In fact, I think that would be frowned upon. Anyway, just curious.Comment
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A lot of us like to deviate from recipes, or add more than the measurements. I firmly believe all recipes should be tried one time as they were presented before tweaking as sometimes the simplicity of a dish shines on its own. I'm still quite guilty of embellishing a recipe the first time, so these team cooks are great fun. Everyone should end up with the same flavor, though knife and other skills still shine and showcase visual differences... IMO its fun.
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I just noticed this .... what? No breadcrumbs on cassoulet, you make the crust during cooking in the oven.1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbsComment
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I have way too much going on already, there’s no way I’d be able to concentrate on this. I want to try it some day, but not soon.
On the other hand, I’d really love to make this. It very well might turn up during the reveal.
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1,027 5 star ratings in Food & Wine.Comment
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Locally sourcing duck legs/thighs & pork skin will be the first job. Then making duck confit is second job.
All the kids and grandkids will be here for several days after Christmas. We can eat this in our new pajamas.Comment
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BD's recipe above is basically Wolfert's recipe at p317. Duck confit starts at p195; all in Cookig of SW France.Comment
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Can't we do something normal like squirrel stew? Lol.Comment
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Not to go off on a tangent, but talking about this recipe reminds me of a conversation I had with someone regarding "authentic" Chinese food. Their comment was that Chinese restaurants in America serve food that people in China would never recognize. I was lucky enough to travel to China a few years ago and of course this is true.
HOWEVER, what makes it authentic is using ingredients and cooking methods that people in China would use. The ingredients are invariably whatever was local. In Julia Child's cookbook she points out that in parts of France goose is considered the meat of choice in cassoulet but that is because that particular area was famous for foie gras and the locals had to do something with al that leftover goose meat. When Chinese immigrants came to America, their food changed due to the availability of ingredients and if they opened a restaurant, what the local customers would eat. That being said, one still finds people of Chinese decent cooking the food in these restaurants.
The frosting on the cake was when I was asked to escort a group of Chinese clients visiting our company a few years ago. During that entire week, the only restaurants they wanted to go to were the Chinese restaurants with their "unauthentic" Chinese food. I asked them about this and their response was that it was close to what they had back home and they liked it (the one exception being they also like Kentucky Fried Chicken).
So, who's to judge? I say substituting whatever you have that you can obtain locally is fair game. If you can get a hold of the exact ingredients, go for it!Comment
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great observations .... and definitely truth to that. One of the things I learned from Kate Hill was that cassoulet is, like many such things, the product of taking a peasant stew and refining it over the years. The French peasant in Gascony in 1750 would not recognize today's Cassoulet ..... they put what they had in it. So, the long winded point of that is that if you want to be true to the origins of Cassoulet, you would cook the local cheap food and beans, not order duck online. :-)
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Ingredient quest today. Local high end butcher shop had ham hocks, quartered, and hog backfat with the skin on. Local IGA has duck fat, but is currently out. They also carry frozen duck, as does the local Chef's Store. I will use legs and thighs from 2 ducks for the confit. Will use bacon for the salt pork.
Have not sorted the sausage yet.Comment
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Just located P Wolfert's Toulouse sausage recipe, p298, same book. She uses white wine, and just 1 garlic clove for 1 lb sausage.
She says that a good substitute is "thick country-style Italian sausage flavored with thyme and garlic."Comment
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the more I read this recipe, the more I’m thinking no …. I love Cassoulet and I love cooking Cassoulet, but this particular recipe is crazy involved and way more effort than I can do in the next couple weeks.Comment
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yakima I hear you. BUT my preferred cassoulet recipe is from Kate Hill, and it is a 5-8 hour journey which is a crazy amount of effort. The issue for me is not sourcing the ingredients. I’m on the west side and I can pretty easily get everything if I’m willing to drive into Bellevue or Seattle. But the time issue is a big deal. I have to work, I have to do all my other Christmas stuff, and then add this on top? I’ll do a Kate Hill style cassoulet and share on SUWYC
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