Back when I first discovered it, I doubt few people in America had ever heard the word before. With food / cooking shows being so popular, I'm guessing the word is more familiar to Americans these days. For those here who still don't don't don't what it is, here's the results of a Google search on "cassoulet definition":
One of the things this definition omits is that there's usually a critically-important crust on the top of this dish. It's usually fresh bread crumbs tossed with olive oil and maybe a touch of savory spice, then used to top the cassoulet at the last minute under the broiler. The resulting dish is crunchy on top with lots of umami from meat and beans underneath it. This is what peasant farm houses used to do with leftovers.
Fast forward to me first discovering the word two decades ago, via a recipe posted in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. I have been making it since then, and everyone I've served it to has complimented the dish. It looks simple - and from the ingredient list, it is - but there are a few tricky parts. I'm going to repeat this recipe in the following post. Everything comes from a web application I've built to store, share and comment on the recipes I make - so the information represents a few decades of tweaking and eating...
I need to mention that this is a cheap/simple cassoulet recipe; it's made for people who want to know what the deal is, rather than knowing exactly how to make an authentic dish. Anyone who's curious should search for something more authentic - and I have a few links I can post if requested
Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked casserole containing meat, pork skin and white beans, originating in southern France. It is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides. Wikipedia
Main ingredients: Meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck, sometimes mutton), pork skin, white haricot beans
Place of origin: France
Main ingredients: Meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck, sometimes mutton), pork skin, white haricot beans
Place of origin: France
One of the things this definition omits is that there's usually a critically-important crust on the top of this dish. It's usually fresh bread crumbs tossed with olive oil and maybe a touch of savory spice, then used to top the cassoulet at the last minute under the broiler. The resulting dish is crunchy on top with lots of umami from meat and beans underneath it. This is what peasant farm houses used to do with leftovers.
Fast forward to me first discovering the word two decades ago, via a recipe posted in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. I have been making it since then, and everyone I've served it to has complimented the dish. It looks simple - and from the ingredient list, it is - but there are a few tricky parts. I'm going to repeat this recipe in the following post. Everything comes from a web application I've built to store, share and comment on the recipes I make - so the information represents a few decades of tweaking and eating...
I need to mention that this is a cheap/simple cassoulet recipe; it's made for people who want to know what the deal is, rather than knowing exactly how to make an authentic dish. Anyone who's curious should search for something more authentic - and I have a few links I can post if requested
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