"cassoulet" news and stories

• Frigid winter weather calls for black bean soup and cornbread cassoulet.
• The secret to a well-assembled cheese board is contrasting tastes, textures and colors -- and capping the selection at six different varieties.
• Tired cooks can get more shut-eye by preparing their breakfast dishes before going to bed.
• Sliced beef filet on baguette rounds is a winning tapas recipe for timid eaters.

• Creme fraiche is a great way to perk up soups, desserts and anything else that could do with a bit of extra creamy zing.
• Nine Baltimore-area cooks stretch and flex their cassoulet muscles at the eighth annual cassoulet cook-off.
• Just in time for harvest, Rob Kasper checks out beers made with apples and narrows the field down to some of his favorites.
• This week's Wine Find is the Dow's Trademark Finest Reserve Porto - a creamy, sweet and balanced dessert wine.
• Elizabeth Large's Top Ten is a round up of restaurants that aren't quite institutions but still reserve that sense of permanence.
• It's time, once again, to send in your favorite cookie recipes for this year's cookie contest. Recipes must be in by Nov. 5th to be considered.

I've finished cooking my cassoulet, and it wasn't near as bad as I feared. Other than being labor-intensive for about an hour, it cooked all by itself while I hung out with my family. It's now being consumed as fast as we can shovel it in our mouths. It's so flavorful, and the different sorts of meats really go together well. I love LOVE the beans. I could eat them one by one all night long.

Next time, I think I'll make it with lamb and substitute something else for the garlic sausage - I don't really like it much. Maybe something spicy like andouille (although I know that's going a bit in a different direction). The duck is fantastic, and although the whole dish is pricey, it's worth it - I fed six adults for about $30, and you could go cheaper by purchasing your stew meat from a regular grocery store.

It's about 2 p.m. here in Portland, and I'm starting to cook my cassoulet. I've got a pile full of meats from Pastaworks (I'm using the veal for my yummy French stew). I'm a little jittery, as there are so many steps and so many different kinds of meat! I'm looking forward to finally attempting this legendary French country dish (the ultimate in slow cooking, if you ask me).

I'm going to start by cooking the white beans and, while they're simmering, I'll broil the duck confit. I'm terrified by duck, so I need a clear head and a clean kitchen.

I've decided to finally approach my fears head-on and make cassoulet. I've searched high and low for a good recipe and found a couple of great blueprints. I linked to this extremely detailed post on cassoulet when I spoke of it before, and I'm printing it out to use as a guide through my adventure.

Before you can make cassoulet, you have to decide how you're going to handle the meats. Most cassoulets are centered around duck, and use several parts of the bird. A classic rendition has the chef roasting the duck, rendering the fat, and making a 'confit' of the leg and a demiglace (French for stock) of the carcass. What's more, after all that, you have to select which other meats to include.

I made a critical decision when faced with my favorite butcher's meat counter and decided to buy duck confit already made. Brilliant no? It's pictured here. I also decided to go without the authentic duck stock and just buy storebought chicken broth. Hey, I don't have 48 hours to make this thing. I need cassoulet to be easy, or it's not happening.

Want to cook this live with me tonight? You'll have to head to the market. Here's what you'll need: