CASSOULET RECIPE | BON APPÉTIT
Layers of duck, two kinds of sausage, a hearty ragout, and beans make this the comfort meal to end all comfort meals. It’s an occasion to break out the biggest pot you own. Our classic cassoulet recipe takes no shortcuts and requires a little planning, but every step is totally doable, even if you’re not a pro.
Provided by Claire Saffitz
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 33
Steps:
- Cure Duck Legs
- Prick skin on duck legs all over with the tip of a paring knife. Rub legs with salt, making sure to massage into flesh and skin.
- Place legs in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto legs. Rest a plate on top of legs and weigh down with several 28-oz. cans. Chill at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
- Note: If you’re going to cook the beans and ragout and combine tomorrow, soak the beans tonight. If not, just remember to soak them the day before you want to cook them.
- Confit Duck Legs
- Preheat oven to 250°. Evenly scatter thyme, garlic, peppercorns, and juniper berries (if using) across a large baking dish or roasting pan and add 2 Tbsp. water.
- Remove duck legs from bowl. Rinse off salt and arrange legs, skin side down, over aromatics in baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil and weigh down with a cast-iron skillet or a heavy baking dish. Bake until fat renders out of duck and legs are submerged, about 2 hours.
- Carefully remove baking dish from oven and remove skillet and foil. Turn legs skin side up and nestle back into fat. Cover dish again with foil and continue to cook legs, unweighted, until duck meat is very tender and bones wiggle easily in joints, 2–2½ hours longer.
- Let legs cool in fat until you can handle them, then transfer with tongs or a spider to a plate. Strain ¼ cup fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and let cool. Cover and set aside for cooking the breadcrumbs. Strain remaining fat into an airtight container; cover and reserve for another use (like roasting potatoes).
- Remove skin from legs, trying to keep as intact as possible; transfer skin to an airtight container. Cover and chill. Pull duck meat from bones, tearing into 2" pieces; discard bones and cartilage. Place meat in another airtight container; cover and chill. You won’t need the skin, meat, or fat until you’re ready to assemble the cassoulet.
- Do Ahead: Duck legs can be confited 3 weeks ahead. Transfer legs to a large nonreactive vessel; strain fat through a fine-mesh sieve over meat. Cover and chill. Let come to room temperature before using. Meat and skin can be prepared 3 days ahead; keep chilled.
- Cook the Beans
- Stick a clove into each onion half. Place in a large pot along with beans, pancetta, carrots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf; pour in cold water to cover beans by 2". Season with several grinds of pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Partially cover pot and cook beans, skimming surface occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep beans submerged and seasoning with a couple of pinches of salt after about 30 minutes, until beans are tender but not falling apart, 45–60 minutes for cannellini and 1–1½ hours for Tarbais or corona. Remove pot from heat; pluck out and discard onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Transfer pancetta to a cutting board; let cool slightly, then cut into 1x¼" pieces. Add back to pot and let mixture cool.
- Cook Ragout
- Meanwhile, sprinkle pork with 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and several grinds of pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, cook pork, turning once, until browned all over, 10–12 minutes per batch; transfer to a plate as you go.
- Reduce heat to medium and place onion, carrot, and garlic in pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 8–10 minutes. Return pork to pot and add thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover pot, and simmer gently, skimming fat occasionally, until meat is fork-tender, 1¾–2 hours. Pluck out and discard thyme and bay leaf. Let ragout cool slightly.
- Combine Beans and Ragout
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer bean mixture to pot with ragout. Add enough cooking liquid from beans just to cover. Pour remaining bean cooking liquid into an airtight container and chill; you may need it for finishing the cassoulet later. Let ragout mixture cool completely, then cover and chill at least 12 hours.
- Do Ahead: Ragout and beans can be combined 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
- Temper and Season Ragout Mixture
- Remove ragout mixture from refrigerator and skim fat from surface; discard. Cover pot and bring ragout to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Taste and season conservatively with salt and pepper if needed (the duck will add considerable saltiness when mixed in).
- Prepare Sausage and Breadcrumbs
- Remove reserved duck meat and skin from refrigerator. Let meat come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, arrange skin in a single layer in an 8-qt. Dutch oven or other heavy pot (the same one you’ll cook the cassoulet in). Cook over low heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 20–30 minutes. Using tongs, transfer skin to paper towels and blot away excess fat.
- Prick pork sausages all over with a fork and cook in fat in same pot, turning occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through, 12–15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly. Cut into 2" pieces.
- Add breadcrumbs to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden in spots and starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. If breadcrumbs seem very dry or are sticking to the pot, add 1–2 Tbsp. reserved duck fat. Transfer breadcrumbs to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Add parsley and toss to combine. Wipe out pot and let cool.
- Layer Cassoulet
- Rub inside of cooled pot with cut sides of garlic; ladle in one-third of ragout mixture. Top with half of pork sausage, garlic sausage, and duck meat, then another third of ragout mixture. Top with remaining duck meat and sausages, then remaining ragout mixture. Liquid should come to top of beans. Add reserved bean cooking liquid if needed.
- Do Ahead: Cassoulet can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. Store breadcrumbs and duck skin separately airtight at room temperature.
- Bake Cassoulet
- Preheat oven to 375°. Scatter two-thirds of breadcrumb mixture over cassoulet.
- Bake, uncovered, until a golden crust forms, 25–30 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spoon to break up crust, pressing very gently so crust absorbs a little liquid; smooth surface. Bake until another crust forms, 25–30 minutes; break up again. Repeat process 2 more times (for a total of 4 times). If mixture starts to look dry, moisten with a bit of reserved bean cooking liquid when breaking up the crust.
- Top cassoulet with remaining breadcrumb mixture; bake until golden brown, 15–20 minutes. Let rest at least 25 minutes before serving.
- Divide cassoulet among bowls; crumble duck skin over.
CASSOULET RECIPE | MARTHA STEWART
Layers of ingredients yield layers of flavor in this iconic casserole from southwestern France. From start to finish, this dish takes about 18 hours to prepare, although most of it is unattended.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Pork Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Bundle parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, celery, and leek to form a bouquet garni, wrapping kitchen twine around the aromatics several times to secure -- which ensures easy retrieval of the ingredients after they've infused the cooking liquid with flavor.
- Warm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add fatback or pork belly, and cook until it is golden on all sides and has begun to render its fat, about 5 minutes. Add pork shoulder, and cook until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Stick clove in half the onion, and add to pot along with bouquet garni, ham hock, carrot, tomatoes and juice, and beans. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 to 2 inches (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently until beans are tender throughout but not falling apart, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Discard carrot, onion, and bouquet garni. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, reserving liquid, and let cool slightly. Trim meat and gelatin from the bone, dicing and returning them to the pot. Discard the bone.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rub cut side of garlic clove over the entire inner surface of a small (5-quart) Dutch oven or other ovenproof vessel. This allows a subtle though distinct garlic flavor to infuse the resulting cassoulet.
- Using a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon, place half the bean mixture in the Dutch oven, spreading it evenly. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot.
- Arrange the duck confit and sausage on top of the beans in the Dutch oven to create a single, snug layer. Spoon the remaining beans over the meat, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Add enough cooking liquid so the beans are almost, but not quite, submerged. Reserve the remaining liquid. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours. Check the liquid every 30 minutes to make sure it is no more than 1/2 inch below the beans, and add liquid or water as necessary. Do not stir.
- After the cassoulet has cooked for 2 hours, toss bread and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over cassoulet, and return to oven until beans are tender and bread is golden, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Before serving, let cassoulet stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to cool and to allow the beans to absorb some of the liquid. You can refrigerate cassoulet in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm in an oven heated to 300 degrees.
More about "cassoulet dutch oven recipes"
HEALTHY CHICKEN CASSOULET RECIPE | COOKING LIGHT
From cookinglight.com
Total Time 195 minutes
Calories 483 per serving
- Place beans in a Dutch oven. Add water to cover by 2 inches; stir in bay leaves. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Return pan to heat over high (do not drain beans or refresh water); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until beans are almost tender, about 30 minutes. Drain beans; discard bay leaves. Wipe pan dry. Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in pan over medium-high. Add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and sausage. Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté 5 minutes. Add thyme, tomato paste, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; cook 1 minute, scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper, beans, chicken, and sausage to pan; stir gently to combine. Cover and bake at 300°F 1 hour. Remove pan. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Scoop out 1 cup bean mixture, avoiding chicken or sausage. Mash with a fork; stir into chicken mixture. Place baguette in a food processor; process until coarse crumbs form. Add cheese, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; pulse to combine. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over cassoulet. Bake, uncovered, at 425°F until topping is crusty, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Slow Cooker Method - Place beans in a 6-quart slow cooker. Proceed with step 3, substituting a skillet for the Dutch oven. Add chicken mixture and onion mixture to slow cooker. Omit step 4. Add tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and 1 2/3 cups water. Cover and cook on LOW until beans are tender, 7 to 8 hours. Omit step 5. Make breadcrumb mixture as directed in step 6; toast in a skillet over medium-high about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on cassoulet.
CASSOULET RECIPE | MARTHA STEWART
From marthastewart.com
Reviews 0
Category Pork Recipes
- Before serving, let cassoulet stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to cool and to allow the beans to absorb some of the liquid. You can refrigerate cassoulet in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm in an oven heated to 300 degrees.
OVEN-BAKED CASSOULET | BETTER HOMES & GARDENS
Reviews 5
Total Time 1 hours 0 minutes
Category Recipes and Cooking
Calories 243 calories per serving
- Stir pork, beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, water, kielbasa, thyme, rosemary, and pepper into Dutch oven. Bake, covered, in a 325 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until pork and carrots are tender. To serve, sprinkle each serving with parsley.
STOVETOP CASSOULET | RECIPES | WW USA
From weightwatchers.com
Total Time 58 minutes
Category Lunch,Dinner
Cuisine French
Calories 123 kcal per serving
- Combine the parsley, lemon zest, and remaining 1 chopped garlic clove in a small bowl; set aside. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle the cassoulet with the parsley mixture just before serving. Yields generous 1 cup per serving.
CAJUN CHICKEN CASSOULET RECIPE | MYRECIPES
From myrecipes.com
Reviews 4.5
Total Time 1 hours 15 minutes
- Bake, covered, at 400° for 40 minutes or until bubbly. If desired, sprinkle with Toasted Herbed Breadcrumb Topping.
CASSOULET POT PIE | LE CREUSET® OFFICIAL SITE
Created for the 90th Anniversary Original Cocotte and 90th Anniversary Petite Cocotte
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 link garlic sausage, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8 ounces dried Great Northern beans, soaked overnight in generously salted water, then drained well
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1 (28-ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes, drained and coarsley chopped
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 3 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 lightly beaten egg
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 F. Season the pork shoulder generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven set over medium heat, brown the bacon. When crisp, remove and set aside. Brown the pork in batches, until deeply caramelized on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
Add the sausage and cook until well-browned. Remove and set aside.
Drain the fat if needed, leaving 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent, but not brown, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the well-drained beans, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, parsley, tomatoes and chicken stock. Return the meat to the pot.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and place in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the beans and pork are tender. Taste and season accordingly.
At this point, the cassoulet may be eaten as is, or divided into individual pot pies.
To make pot pies, raise the oven’s heat to 400 F.
Divide the stew amongst six individual serving dishes. Trim the puff pastry to cover the dishes. Gently press the pastry against the rims to adhere. Mix the lightly beaten egg with 1 teaspoon of water, and brush the mixture over the tops. Slice a small vent in the top of each. Bake until the crust is puffy and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.
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