# What do you think of this cassoulet recipe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175 "2010-09-18T06:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/1 "2010-09-18T06:02:51Z")
[Cassoulet in 10 Easy Steps](http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/03/cassoulet_in_10.html) Some people commented that 'It’s not cassoulet! :mad: ’ But as someone else posted, you get arguments over chili or gumbo. So let’s be liberal with the definition. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/2 "2010-09-18T06:08:45Z")
I have been making cassoulet for my holiday party every year for 17 years. This is my [2007 report](http://feast-blog.com/the-joy-that-is-cassoulet/). I’m a purist. After all these years, I am steadfastly in the Paula Wolfert camp of ONLY cooking cassoulet in an authentic _cassole_, the clay pot that makes the beans that much creamier and richer. Yes, I am a cassoulet snob… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/3 "2010-09-18T06:22:23Z")
I don’t have a cassole. Only a cast-iron dutch oven, or [this 12" non-stick pan](http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-Nonstick-12-Inch-Everyday/dp/B0000936K0/ref=sr_1_3?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1284790858&sr=8-3). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/4 "2010-09-18T09:48:27Z")
It is nowhere near how I make a cassoulet, and the idea of the original cassoulet was using many different leftover meats in small amounts of each, not huge amounts of each [I prefer to use leftover pork loin, leftover lamb roast, leftover roast beef, and then a small finger sized garlic sausage and a confitted duck leg per person. The meats are cut into half inch dice and the 3 meats combined are about equal to the weight of the sausage and duck legs. I do the classic thing and line the casserole with a thick cut bacon I get from my butcher store. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/5 "2010-09-18T11:18:46Z")
When I asked in a previous thread if anyone had a recipe for cassoulet, **aruvqan** [wrote it all out](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12486126&postcount=12). Soon as it gets a bit cooler some Sunday, I know what I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/6 "2010-09-18T14:12:45Z")
I make a very quick and easy “sorta” cassoulet, but am not ready for ridicule this early in the day, so won’t be posting it in a thread full of ‘purists’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/7 "2010-09-18T15:21:24Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > When I asked in a previous thread if anyone had a recipe for cassoulet, **aruvqan** [wrote it all out](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12486126&postcount=12). Soon as it gets a bit cooler some Sunday, I know what I’m doing. That sounds pretty good. **Fried Dough Ho** will probably disagree with me, but I think that many ‘classic’ dishes don’t have a definitive recipe. Sure, I’ll argue that proper chili doesn’t have beans; but that doesn’t mean I won’t eat chili with beans or even make it myself. A ‘cassoulet snob’ might say, ‘No, this is how it is to be made, and any variation will not be cassoulet!’ I tend toward the idea that traditionally dishes were made with what’s available, and the ‘proper and correct’ versions are regional refinements. So I like the concept that it’s ‘meat infused beans’. (Not that I’d call my ham hocks and black-eyed peas a cassoulet, of course!) Duck is not common in most grocery stores here. I can get it at Pike Place Market though. I’ve never seen confit duck available anywhere, nor containers of duck fat. It would be logistically difficult, and time-consuming, but I could handle it. I like lamb, and have bought legs from the same place **needscoffee** says the duck is available. (Joe & Don’s has nice lamb legs, BTW.) Given that, as **aruvqan** said, leftover meat is often used, would leftover rare roast leg of lamb be good? Or would it be better to buy fresh lamb shoulder and cook it from raw? The link in the OP suggests sweet Italian sausage. I have no problem with that, but Uli’s Famous Sausage has one or two varieties of French sausage that might be more appropriate. I’ve never seen ‘pork skin’ for sale (aside from chicharrónes – which are already cooked), but bacon, smoked ham hocks, smoked ham shanks, and salt pork are readily available. I’ll have to search for the beans. The ones at the supermarkets around here are geared toward the traditional American recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/8 "2010-09-18T16:02:36Z")
My way of making puritans weep is to get a BBQ duck from the Chinese butcher, separate the meat from the bone, use the bones to make a killer stock, and use that stock as the cooking liquid (and the meat for the ducky bits). Duck sausage [from this place](http://events.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/travel/13foraging.html); plus a nice smoky Ukrainian sausage, beans, etc. No special pots- no space for unitaskers in my kitchen, and as it is I store the cast iron pots in the linen closet.😃 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/9 "2010-09-18T23:16:13Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > My way of making puritans weep is to get a BBQ duck from the Chinese butcher… See, that’s the problem. We just don’t _have_ a Chinese butcher in Akron. All I have is a Chinese laundry. Can I used some pressed shirts instead of pressed duck? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/10 "2010-09-18T23:21:55Z")
Ohio? Doesn’t everyone there have a shotgun? Just get your own damned ducks! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/11 "2010-09-19T03:20:29Z")
Hey, getting the duck is easy. Quality BBQ is not! Speaking of which, I brought home leftover duck (leftovers? for shame, I know) and his partial remains are now bubbling away, and tomorrow I’ll try them out with the flageolet beans I finally found at the bulk food store ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/12 "2010-09-19T03:40:10Z")
It looks like a pretty good cassoulet to me. I’m not a cooking purist at all. Substituting ingredients is fun, and produces a better dish sometimes. I haven’t been to France to see how its done there, but it conforms to the theme of the various recipes I’ve seen. For me, cassoulet is just another excuse to eat duck. And ducks are getting harder to find at the grocery. The butcher will order them, but that doesn’t help when you wake up one morning and think ‘wouldn’t this be a great day to make cassoulet’. And it’s a lot like Paella, Jambalaya, and a dish I just call Seafood, a mix of great flavors allowed to cook together. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/13 "2010-09-19T20:59:08Z")
No confit or other preserved/left-over meat? Then it’s not a great cassoulet. Otherwise it’s good enough, although [I’ve](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12487273&postcount=14)never had a problem with canned beans. I wouldn’t put \*whole \*duck legs in, myself. My first thought was “Only two kinds of meat? Skimper!” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/14 "2010-09-19T21:00:35Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > My first thought was “Only two kinds of meat? Skimper!” Three: Duck, sausage, bacon. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/15 "2010-09-19T21:31:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > My first thought was “Only two kinds of meat? Skimper!” > > Three: Duck, sausage, bacon. It wouldn’t hurt to add either some lamb, some pork, or some beef(although, beef would be my last choice). Pretty easy to get some of the first two. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/16 "2010-09-19T21:32:32Z")
Gotta have lamb. Leg OK, or should it be shoulder? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/17 "2010-09-19T21:42:42Z")
**Johnny**. After finally reading the original recipe that you posted, I don’t think using Italian sausage is the best. Surely there must be somewhere in your neighborhood to get a garlic sausage other than Italian. If you must use an Italian sausage, make it one of the hard kind. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/18 "2010-09-19T21:44:47Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Gotta have lamb. > > Leg OK, or should it be shoulder? Shoulder, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/19 "2010-09-19T21:50:35Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > **Johnny**. After finally reading the original recipe that you posted, I don’t think using Italian sausage is the best. Surely there must be somewhere in your neighborhood to get a garlic sausage other than Italian. If you must use an Italian sausage, make it one of the hard kind. [Uli’s Famous Sausage](http://www.ulisfamoussausage.com/index.asp) is half a mile south of the office. Uli makes D’Avignon sausage (French-style bratwurst with lots of onions), lamb sausage (garlic and herbs), and heavy garlic chicken. I’m thinking either the pork or the lamb. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175/20 "2010-09-19T22:10:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@samclem](#): > > > > **Johnny**. After finally reading the original recipe that you posted, I don’t think using Italian sausage is the best. Surely there must be somewhere in your neighborhood to get a garlic sausage other than Italian. If you must use an Italian sausage, make it one of the hard kind. > > [Uli’s Famous Sausage](http://www.ulisfamoussausage.com/index.asp) is half a mile south of the office. Uli makes D’Avignon sausage (French-style bratwurst with lots of onions), lamb sausage (garlic and herbs), and heavy garlic chicken. I’m thinking either the pork or the lamb. I scanned the website. Sounds like you live close to some good stuff. If you go there, see if you can find a _hard_ garlic sausage. Just my opinion. You might wait for other posters to give an opinion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-cassoulet-recipe/554175.md?page=2)