Cassoulet of Castelnaudary

By John, 21 February, 2019
Region
France
Description

Cassoulet de CastelnaudaryThis is the classic cassoulet recipe lightly adapted to the American kitchen from the master recipe published by the Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary. 

Cassoulet is a legendary dish of white beans and mixed meats from Languedoc in southwestern France. Much has been written about it, and much confusion has ensued.

If you're a real cassoulet nerd, you know that there are three "authentic" cassoulet recipes: this Cassoulet de Castelnaudary (considered the original), the famous Cassoulet Toulousaine, and the Cassoulet de Carcasonne, which includes lamb.

And if you're a cassoulet nerd of the fanatical variety, then you need to know about D'Artagnan's annual Cassoulet War in New York City!

Here I'll do my best to present something authentic and cookable.   

Yield
6 Servings
Preparation time
6 hours
Ingredients
12 oz Dried White Beans ("of the ingot type (preferably lauragais)")
2 legs of duck confit (or goose confit, cut in half)
12 oz garlicky pork sausage (cut in four)
8 oz Pork Shoulder (cut in four)
9 oz pork rind (divided in two)
4 oz Bacon Slices
3 q Chicken Stock
Instructions
  1. The day before: Soak dry beans overnight in cold water.
  2. The next day: Empty this water, put the beans in a stockpot with three quarts of fresh water (not hard water).
  3. Empty this water, put the beans in a stockpot with three quarts of stock and with the rinds cut in large strips. Salt and pepper (generously). Cook the beans in the stock until they are soft but remain whole. This takes about one hour of boiling.
  4. In a large frying pan, fry the confit pieces over low heat and set aside in a bowl.
  5. In the remaining fat, fry the sausages and reserve them with the confit.
  6. Brown the pieces of pork well and reserve them with the other meats.
  7. Drain the beans and keep the broth warm. Add the bacon and some cloves of garlic to the beans.
  8. Line the bottom of the pot with pieces of rind from the beans.
  9. Add about a third of the beans.
  10. Add the duck or goose and the pork, but not the sausage.
  11. Pour the rest of the beans over the duck and pork.
  12. Arrange the sausages by pressing them into the beans, but don't bury them.
  13. Fill the dish with the hot broth, to just cover the beans.
  14. Grind fresh pepper on the surface and add a tablespoon of the goose fat used to brown the meat.
  15. Put in the oven at 300° and cook for three hours.
  16. During the cooking the top will form a golden brown crust of caramelized beans that should be pressed several times down into the cooking liquid.
  17. When the top of the beans begins to dry, add a few spoonfuls of broth.
Notes

You can use goose instead of duck. That's what I used for the one in the photo.

If possible, use a terracotta "cassolo" (see http://www.confrerieducassoulet.com/la-cassole.html), or failing that, a two-quart oven-safe terracotta casserole or beanpot. The photo above shows one that I made for a dinner party with goose and extra sausage. It was big enough to fill the insert to my slow-cooker!

If you prepare this cassoulet the day before, it should be heated in the oven at 150° for an hour and a half before serving. Do not forget to add a little broth or a few spoonfuls of water.

The classic wine to serve with this is Cahors, the local "black wine". Cahors is an unoaked Malbec.

Here's the original recipe.