Cassoulet

The grand slow-cooked casserole of white beans, duck confit, pork and garlic sausage under a golden breadcrumb crust.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) dried white beans (Tarbais or Great Northern), soaked overnight
• 4 legs duck confit
• 1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder, cubed
• 1 lb (450 g) garlic sausage (saucisse de Toulouse)
• 1/2 lb (225 g) slab bacon, diced
• 1 onion, studded with 2 cloves
• 1 carrot
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bouquet garni
• 4 cups duck or chicken stock
• 2 cups dry breadcrumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Drain the soaked beans, place in a pot with the clove-studded onion, carrot, half the garlic and the bouquet garni. Cover with water, simmer until just tender, about 1 hour, then drain and reserve, discarding the aromatics.
2. Render the bacon in a large pot, then brown the pork shoulder cubes well. Add the remaining garlic and tomato paste and cook briefly.
3. Add the beans, stock and enough water to cover, season, and simmer gently 45 minutes.
4. Brown the garlic sausage in a skillet and slice. Warm the duck confit legs to loosen the meat from the bone.
5. Layer half the beans in a deep earthenware dish, arrange the confit, pork and sausage on top, then cover with the remaining beans and enough liquid to nearly cover.
6. Top with an even layer of breadcrumbs and bake at 325 F until a brown crust forms, about 1.5 hours, breaking the crust into the beans once or twice as it develops.
7. Let rest 15 minutes before serving straight from the dish.

Notes

Adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook; Bourdain treated cassoulet as a multi-day labor of love.