Gourmet Cassoulet Recipe

THE BEANS AND SAUSAGE: In a heavy 6- to 8-quart pot or soup kettle, bring the chicken stock to a bubbling boil over high heat. Drop the beans in and boil them briskly for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, simmer the salt pork and optional pork rind in 1 quart of water for 15 minutes; drain and set aside.

With the point of a sharp knife, pierce 5 or 6 holes in the sausage; then add the sausage, salt pork and pork rind to the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the top of scum.

When the stock looks fairly clear, add the whole onions, garlic, thyme, bouquet garni, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, adding stock or water if needed.

With tongs, transfer the sausage to a plate and set it aside. Cook the beans and salt pork for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Drain and transfer the salt pork and rind to the plate with the sausage; discard the onions and bouquet garni.

Strain the stock through a large sieve or colander into a mixing bowl. Skim the fat from the stock and taste for seasoning. Then set the beans, stock and meats aside in separate containers. If they are to be kept overnight, cool, cover and refrigerate them.

THE BROILED DUCK: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter by beating it vigorously against the sides of a small bowl with a wooden spoon until it is fluffy, then beat in the oil. Dry the duck with paper towels, and coat the quarters with creamed butter and oil.

Lay them skin side down on the broiler rack, and broil them 4 inches from the heat for 15 minutes, basting them once with pan juices, and broil 5 minutes more.

Then increase the heat to 400 F and broil for 15 minutes, basting the duck once or twice. With tongs, turn the quarters over, baste, and broil skin side up for 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to 450 F, baste again, and broil for 10 minutes more. Remove the duck to a plate and pour the drippings from the broiler into a bowl, scraping in any browned bits that cling to the pan. Let the drippings settle, then skim the fat from the top and save it in a small bowl.

Pour the degreased drippings into the bean stock. When the duck is cool, trim off the excess fat and gristle, and use poultry shears to cut the quarters into small serving pieces. If they are to be kept overnight, cool and cover the duck and bowl of fat and refrigerate them.

THE PORK AND LAMB: Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, saute the diced pork fat over moderate heat, stirring constantly, un­ til crisp and brown. Remove the dice and reserve.

Pour all but 2 or 3 table­spoons of rendered fat into a small mixing bowl. Heat the fat remaining in the skillet almost to the smoking point, and in it brown the pork and the lamb, 4 or 5 chunks at a time, adding more pork fat as needed. When the chunks are a rich brown on all sides, transfer them with tongs to a 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy flameproof casserole.

Now discard all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the skillet and cook the chopped onions over low heat for 5 minutes. Scrape in any browned bits clinging to the pan. Stir in the celery and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Then pour in the wine, bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the mixture has been reduced to about half.

With a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the skillet into the casserole. Gently stir the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and a few grindings of pepper into the casserole. Bring to a boil on top of the stove, cover, and bake on the middle shelf of the oven (adding a little stock or water if the meat looks dry) for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

With tongs, transfer the meat to a bowl. If it is to be kept over­night, cool, cover and refrigerate. Skim the fat from the juices in the casse­role, then strain the juices into the bean stock and discard the vegetables.

ASSEMBLING THE CASSOULET: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Peel the sausage and cut it into 1/4-inch slices; cut the salt pork and pork rind into 1-inch squares.

In a heavy flameproof 6- to 8-quart casserole at least 5 inches deep spread an inch-deep layer of beans. Arrange half of the sausage, salt pork, pork rind, diced pork fat, duck, braised pork and lamb on top.

Cover with an­other layer of beans, then the rest of the meat, finally a last layer of beans, with a few slices of sausage on top. Slowly pour in the bean stock until it almost covers the beans. (If there isn't enough stock, add fresh or canned chicken stock.) Spread the bread crumbs in a thick layer on top and sprinkle them with 3 or 4 tablespoons of duck fat.

Bring the casserole to a boil on top of the stove, then bake it uncovered in the upper third of the oven for 1 1/4 hours, or until the crumbs have formed a firm, dark crust.

If desired, the first gratin, or crust, can be pushed gently into the cassoulet, and the dish baked until a new crust forms. This can be repeated two or three times if you wish. Serve directly from the casserole, sprinkled with parsley.

Crusty and golden brown, the cassoulet should look moist when the surface is broken and the meat and bean flavors should be well blended. Although time-consuming to prepare, the cassoulet can be cooked in easy stages, assembled and refrigerated for a day or so before final baking.