I LOVE cassoulet, the celebrated pork-and-bean stew of southwestern France, but have never attempted to make it. Pages of instructions? Days of preparation? Daunting, to say the least.
So when I saw cassoulet on the class roster at Paris Eastside, Muriel-Marguerite Foucher’s charming Capitol Hill shop and cooking school, I couldn’t fathom how she had trimmed the task to three hours.
Never underestimate a French woman’s ingenuity. Foucher soaks the beans and prepares a quick pork stock the day before the class, but her biggest shortcut — and flavor-booster — is canned duck confit.
Along with pork, duck confit is essential to cassoulet, but slow-cooking duck legs in their own fat requires at least 24 hours. Rougie Moulard duck confit (available at Paris Eastside or Amazon.com) contains four plump legs packed in plenty of fat. Use some to sear the cassoulet meats. Save what’s left for frying eggs or roasting potatoes. It freezes well. Bon appétit!
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Muriel-Marguerite Foucher’s Cassoulet de Carcassonne
Serves 4-6
One day ahead:
1. Cover 1½ pounds of dry white beans with cold water and soak for one hour. (Cannellini work well. Paris Eastside carries traditional French Tarbais beans.) Drain and reserve.
2. Make the broth. You will need 3 to 5 ounces of cured bacon; 2 smashed garlic cloves; 1 onion quartered, and several large pieces of pork skin cut into strips. (Find pork skin at Uwajimaya or ask your butcher. You will need enough to cover the bottom of the cast iron cocotte or Dutch oven you will use for the cassoulet. This prevents the beans from scorching.) Place all the ingredients in a large pot. Add salt, pepper and 12 cups of water. Simmer very low, partially covered for two hours. Refrigerate until needed.
To make the cassoulet:
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 pieces duck confit (scrape off most of the fat and reserve)
3 bratwurst or other garlicky sausage
2 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt (boneless country-style pork ribs sold in supermarkets are conveniently cut)
5 garlic cloves
Kosher salt, white or black pepper, grated nutmeg to taste
1. Strain the stock into a large pot, reserving the pork skin. Add tomato paste and pre-soaked beans. Cook 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the kind of beans. They should remain whole and slightly firm, as they will continue to cook in the oven.
2. While the beans cook, place the confit in a skillet and sear on all sides. Next, sear the sausages in the duck fat, then the pork, then the garlic cloves. Spoon off and reserve any excess fat in a small bowl as you go, or add more if needed. Use a spatula and a wooden spoon to turn and lift the meats, instead of tongs, which can break the skin.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom of a cast iron cocotte or Dutch oven with the pork skins placed fat side down. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about one-third of the beans to the pot to cover the skins. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Arrange the pork on top of the beans. Place the duck on top of the pork. Scatter the garlic. Cover the meats with the remaining beans. Add enough stock to just cover the beans. Place the sausages on top, pushing them gently to slightly submerge. Add more salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bake uncovered for 1½ hours. As it cooks, a thin crust will form. Press gently with a wooden spoon occasionally to break the crust. Add stock if the cassoulet seems too dry.
4. To serve, portion the beans and meats on plates.
French Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ tablespoon tarragon, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Salt and white (or black) pepper
1. Bring salted water to the boil. Boil the beans 7 to 10 minutes, depending on their size.
2. While the beans boil, whisk the oil and vinegar together. Add the tarragon, the shallot, the walnuts, salt and pepper.
3. Drain the beans and run cold water on them to preserve their color. Toss with the dressing and serve.
Financier Cakes
2 eggs
4½ ounces granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
4½ ounces flour
4½ ounces butter, softened
1. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture becomes white, add the orange blossom water, the flour and finally the butter.
3. Butter mini-muffin pans (or madeleine pans or rectangular financiers pans, if you have them). Fill with the batter (not higher than two-thirds full) and bake in the center of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Providence Cicero is The Seattle Times restaurant critic. Reach her at providencecicero@aol.com. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.