French
Cassoulet
Southwestern French bean casserole layered with pork, duck confit, Toulouse sausage, garlic, and a burnished crust.
8 servings · 90 minutes prep · 300 minutes cook
Ingredients
Main
- 1 1/2 lb dried Tarbais or Great Northern beans
- 1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 8 oz pork belly, cut into chunks
- 8 oz pork rind
- 4 duck confit legs
- 1 1/2 lb Toulouse sausage
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 carrots, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed, crushed, for simmering beans
- 4 garlic cloves, minced, minced, for assembly
- 1 bouquet garni
- 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup duck fat
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Directions
Method
- Soak the dried beans in plenty of water for 12 hours, then drain.
- Simmer the beans with the pork rind, onion, carrots, crushed garlic, and bouquet garni in fresh water until tender but not collapsing, 60-75 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid and discard the onion, carrot, and bouquet garni.
- Brown the pork shoulder and pork belly in the duck fat, about 8-10 minutes. Brown the Toulouse sausage for about 5 minutes, then remove the meats. Use the time as a guide; continue only until a deep brown crust forms on the contact surfaces.
- Line a deep baking dish with the softened pork rind if using. Layer the beans, pork, sausage, duck confit legs, minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper, tasting carefully because the cured meats can be salty.
- Add enough bean cooking liquid to come just below the surface. Bake at 300F for 2 hours.
- Break the crust and moisten with more bean liquid whenever the top looks dry rather than glossy. Continue baking for 1 hour more.
- Sprinkle the fresh breadcrumbs over the top and bake until deeply browned, bubbling, and creamy beneath the crust, 30-45 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.
