Name: Cassoulet
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 990 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French (south-west)
Ingredients: 375 g dried white beans (coco or lingot beans; soak overnight in cold water); 6 cloves garlic (5 for the first cooking of the beans, 1 for rubbing the dish); 4 sprigs thyme (half each for the first and second cook); 2 bay leaves (one each for the first and second cook); 3 cloves garlic, fresh (for the second cook); 2 tbsp tomato purée (about 35 g); 8 slices garlic sausage (saucisson à l'ail); 2 slices smoked pork belly (cut into pieces); 2 slices fresh pork belly (cut into pieces and browned); 4 Toulouse sausages, unsmoked (a coarse bratwurst will do); 2 confit duck legs (from a jar or tin; wipe off the fat); 3 tbsp breadcrumbs; salt; pepper

Preparation

Soak the beans the evening before in plenty of cold water.
Drain the beans, put them in a large pot and cover with fresh cold water. Add five cloves of garlic and half of the thyme and bay leaves; do not add salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, then drain and remove the garlic and herbs.
Return the beans to the pot, cover with water and add the tomato purée, sausage slices, smoked belly, three fresh cloves of garlic and the remaining thyme and bay leaves. Put back on the heat and simmer gently.
Brown the fresh pork belly all over in a frying pan, then brown the sausages in it. Blot both with kitchen paper so that not too much fat ends up in the pot, add to the beans, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the lowest heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Lift the duck legs out of the fat, wipe them off thoroughly and separate into drumsticks and thighs. Add to the pot, adjust the seasoning and leave to simmer for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 110 °C (fan).
Rub a deep earthenware or ceramic baking dish with the remaining garlic clove. Carefully spoon in the contents of the pot; the confit falls apart easily. The liquid should only just cover the beans. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Cook very gently in the oven for about 1 to 2 hours, until the crust is golden brown and the beans are creamy. If you like, let the cassoulet cool after the first hour and cook it for another hour later; reheated the next day it tastes even better.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Cahors (Malbec) or Madiran (Tannat), full-bodied, at 16 to 17 °C
Firm tannins bind the duck and pork fat, while dark fruit and spice stand up to the smoked bacon and garlic sausage.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Red wine · excellent match
Minervois or Corbières from Languedoc
Herbal spice and ripe fruit meet the thyme and garlic, and the acidity loosens the creamy beans.
Cognac and brandy · excellent match
Armagnac, neat at room temperature, as a digestif after the meal
From the same region; dried fruit and oak mirror the browned crust, and the alcohol clears the palate after the rich fat.
Cognac and Armagnac: Two Origins for Brandy
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or dunkel, cool
Malty roasted notes echo the browned crust, while fizz and light bitterness lift the creamy beans.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Smoky whisky · good match
Lightly smoky single malt, neat or with a splash of water, after the meal
The smoke links with the smoked belly, and the richness of the stew buffers the peaty bite.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Preparation

Soak the beans the evening before in plenty of cold water.
Drain the beans, put them in a large pot and cover with fresh cold water. Add five cloves of garlic and half of the thyme and bay leaves; do not add salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, then drain and remove the garlic and herbs.
Return the beans to the pot, cover with water and add the tomato purée, sausage slices, smoked belly, three fresh cloves of garlic and the remaining thyme and bay leaves. Put back on the heat and simmer gently.
Brown the fresh pork belly all over in a frying pan, then brown the sausages in it. Blot both with kitchen paper so that not too much fat ends up in the pot, add to the beans, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the lowest heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Lift the duck legs out of the fat, wipe them off thoroughly and separate into drumsticks and thighs. Add to the pot, adjust the seasoning and leave to simmer for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 110 °C (fan).
Rub a deep earthenware or ceramic baking dish with the remaining garlic clove. Carefully spoon in the contents of the pot; the confit falls apart easily. The liquid should only just cover the beans. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Cook very gently in the oven for about 1 to 2 hours, until the crust is golden brown and the beans are creamy. If you like, let the cassoulet cool after the first hour and cook it for another hour later; reheated the next day it tastes even better.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Cahors (Malbec) or Madiran (Tannat), full-bodied, at 16 to 17 °C
Firm tannins bind the duck and pork fat, while dark fruit and spice stand up to the smoked bacon and garlic sausage.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Red wine · excellent match
Minervois or Corbières from Languedoc
Herbal spice and ripe fruit meet the thyme and garlic, and the acidity loosens the creamy beans.
Cognac and brandy · excellent match
Armagnac, neat at room temperature, as a digestif after the meal
From the same region; dried fruit and oak mirror the browned crust, and the alcohol clears the palate after the rich fat.
Cognac and Armagnac: Two Origins for Brandy
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or dunkel, cool
Malty roasted notes echo the browned crust, while fizz and light bitterness lift the creamy beans.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Smoky whisky · good match
Lightly smoky single malt, neat or with a splash of water, after the meal
The smoke links with the smoked belly, and the richness of the stew buffers the peaty bite.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Cassoulet

Preparation

Drink with it

Cahors (Malbec) or Madiran (Tannat), full-bodied, at 16 to 17 °C

Minervois or Corbières from Languedoc

Armagnac, neat at room temperature, as a digestif after the meal

Dark lager or dunkel, cool

Lightly smoky single malt, neat or with a splash of water, after the meal

This pairs well too.

Duck Breast with Orange Sauce

Duck Breast with Honey and Mustard

Duck Breast with Port and Cherry Sauce

Duck Legs with Red Wine Shallots

Cassoulet

Preparation

Drink with it

Cahors (Malbec) or Madiran (Tannat), full-bodied, at 16 to 17 °C

Minervois or Corbières from Languedoc

Armagnac, neat at room temperature, as a digestif after the meal

Dark lager or dunkel, cool

Lightly smoky single malt, neat or with a splash of water, after the meal

This pairs well too.

Duck Breast with Orange Sauce

Duck Breast with Honey and Mustard

Duck Breast with Port and Cherry Sauce

Duck Legs with Red Wine Shallots