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French Cassoulet

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Start the day before:
  • 500 g about 1 lb dried Tarbais or lingot blanc beans, soaked overnight in cold water
For the bean braise:
  • 200 g about 7 oz pork rind, cut into pieces
  • 200 g about 7 oz smoked bacon or pancetta, in one piece
  • 1 large onion peeled and studded with 4 cloves
  • 1 bouquet garni bay leaves, thyme, parsley stems
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • Salt
For the meat elements:
  • 4 duck confit legs store-bought or homemade
  • 500 g about 1 lb Toulouse sausages or good quality pork sausages
  • 300 g about 10 oz pork shoulder, cut into large pieces
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat or lard
For the tomato base:
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 400 g 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Fresh thyme and bay leaves
For the crust:
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat melted

Method
 

  1. Day one — cook the beans. Drain the soaked beans. Place in a large pot with the pork rind, smoked bacon, clove-studded onion, bouquet garni, and garlic. Cover with cold water by 5cm. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the beans are just tender but not fully cooked — they will finish cooking in the cassoulet. Season with salt only in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Remove and discard the onion and bouquet garni. Slice the bacon into pieces and keep the pork rind. Set everything aside.
  2. Brown the meats. Heat duck fat or lard in a large skillet over high heat. Season the pork shoulder pieces and brown on all sides until deeply colored. Remove. Brown the sausages until golden. Remove. The duck confit does not need browning — the confit process has already developed its color and flavor.
  3. Make the tomato base. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the diced onion until softened. Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes until slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Assemble. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line the bottom of a large deep earthenware or cast iron casserole with the pork rind pieces, skin-side down. Add half the beans. Layer the pork shoulder, sausages (halved), and duck confit legs over the beans. Cover with the remaining beans. Pour the tomato base over everything. Add enough reserved bean cooking liquid to just barely cover the beans — the liquid level should be at the top of the beans, not above them.
  5. First bake and crust formation. Toss the breadcrumbs with melted duck fat. Scatter over the surface of the cassoulet. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. A golden crust will form on the surface. Break the crust with a spoon and push it gently into the beans — this is the traditional cassoulet technique, repeated multiple times during cooking to develop the crust. Add more bean cooking liquid if the cassoulet looks dry. Return to oven. Repeat the crust-breaking and baking cycle two more times — 30 minutes per cycle — for a total baking time of approximately 2 hours. The final crust should be deep golden and the cassoulet should be bubbling gently around the edges.
  6. Rest for 15 minutes before serving directly from the cassoulet dish at the table. Serve with crusty bread and a simple green salad. Open the Minervois.