Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (52 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Cassoulet, though a homey, hearty classic French dish, requires ingredients that can be tough to find and demands hours of effort. We wanted to both streamline our cassoulet and use the even, constant heat of the oven for most of the cooking, so the cook would be off-duty. To replace the duck confit, which can be expensive to buy and time-consuming to make, we added salt pork, which provided the necessary richness. Pork shoulder fit the bill as the requisite stewing pork. Because we’d taken liberties with the ingredient list thus far, we opted to keep the fresh French garlic sausage. To prevent the tall sides of our pot from trapping moisture and prohibiting us from getting a crisp crust while the cassoulet baked covered, we used half of our bread crumbs to absorb the liquid. Then we uncovered the pot, added the remaining crumbs, and let the dish cook until they were crisp.
SERVES 8 TO 10
Instead of an overnight soak, you can “quick brine” the beans: In step 1, combine the salt, water, and beans in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe. If you can’t find fresh French garlic sausage, Irish bangers or bratwurst may be substituted. To make a more authentic version of the dish, see our related recipe for
FRENCH PORK AND WHITE BEAN CASSEROLE WITH HOMEMADE DUCK CONFIT
(recipe follows).
Salt and pepper | |
1 | pound dried cannellini beans (2 cups), picked over and rinsed |
2 | celery ribs |
1 | bay leaf |
4 | sprigs fresh thyme |
1¹⁄ | pounds fresh French garlic sausage |
4 | ounces salt pork, rinsed |
¹⁄ | cup vegetable oil |
1 | (1¹⁄ |
1 | large onion, chopped fine |
2 | carrots, peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
¹⁄ | cup dry white wine |
1 | (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
4 | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
4 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh parsley |
1.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Using kitchen twine, tie together celery, bay leaf, and thyme. Place sausage and salt pork in medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to cutting board, allow to cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove salt pork from water; set aside.
3.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add sausage pieces and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to medium bowl. Add pork shoulder and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes total. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Return sausage to Dutch oven; add white wine, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook until slightly reduced, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, celery bundle, and reserved salt pork.
4.
Stir in broth and beans, pressing beans into even layer, adding up to 1 cup water so beans are at least partially submerged (beans may still break surface of liquid). Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are tender, about 1¹⁄
2
hours. Remove celery bundle and salt pork and discard. (Alternatively, dice salt pork and return to casserole.) Using large spoon, skim fat from surface and discard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, 20 minutes.
5.
Meanwhile, pulse bread and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in food processor until crumbs are no larger than ¹⁄
8
inch, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to medium bowl, add parsley, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6.
Sprinkle ¹⁄
2
cup bread-crumb mixture evenly over casserole; bake, covered, 15 minutes. Remove lid and bake 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle remaining bread-crumb mixture over top of casserole and bake until topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
The two components of this recipe, the confit and the stew, are cooked simultaneously. In order for the confit and stew to finish cooking at the same time (step 7), start cooking the confit (step 3) and then wait about 1¹⁄
2
hours before starting the stew (step 4). The cooked confit, covered with fat, will last up to 1 month. Three turkey drumsticks can be substituted for the duck legs. We prefer the duck confit prepared with duck fat, but canola oil can be substituted. We prefer the creamier texture of beans soaked overnight for this recipe. If you’re short on time, quick-soak them: Place the rinsed beans in a large heat-resistant bowl. Bring 8 cups water and 3 tablespoons salt to a boil. Pour the water over the beans and let them sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans well before proceeding with step 3. If you can’t find fresh French garlic sausage, Irish bangers or bratwurst may be substituted.
DUCK CONFIT
1 | large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces |
¹⁄ | cup salt |
6 | garlic cloves |
2 | tablespoons whole black peppercorns |
12 | sprigs fresh parsley |
2 | bay leaves |
6 | duck legs |
4 | cups duck fat or canola oil |
BEAN STEW
Salt and pepper | |
1 | pound dried cannellini beans (2 cups), picked over and rinsed |
2 | celery ribs |
1 | bay leaf |
4 | sprigs thyme |
1 | pound fresh French garlic sausage |
4 | ounces salt pork, rinsed |
¹⁄ | cup vegetable oil |
1 | pound pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks |
1 | large onion, chopped fine |
2 | carrots, peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
¹⁄ | cup dry white wine |
1 | (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
4 | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
4 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh parsley |
1. FOR THE CONFIT:
Process onion, salt, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaves in food processor until smooth paste with some small chunks forms, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Massage duck legs with salt mixture and place in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and place in refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours.
2. FOR THE STEW:
Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature, for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
3.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse duck legs, rubbing off any salt mixture, and pat dry with paper towels. Heat duck fat in large saucepan over medium heat until completely transparent (if using canola oil, it should register about 135 degrees). Add duck legs, making sure they are completely submerged in fat. Transfer pot to oven and cook until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 3 to 4 hours.
4.
Using kitchen twine, tie together celery, bay leaf, and thyme, and set aside. Place sausage and salt pork in medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to cutting board, allow to cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove salt pork from water; set aside.
5.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add sausage pieces and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to medium bowl. Add pork shoulder and brown on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Return sausage to Dutch oven; add white wine, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook until slightly reduced, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, celery bundle, and reserved salt pork.
6.
Stir in broth and beans, pressing beans into even layer, adding up to 1 cup water to ensure beans are at least partially submerged (beans may still break surface of liquid). Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are tender, about 1¹⁄
2
hours.
7.
Remove confit and stew from oven and increase temperature to 350 degrees. Using slotted spoon, transfer duck legs to large plate. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Remove meat from bones, leaving meat in large pieces; discard bones. Meanwhile, remove celery bundle and salt pork from bean stew and discard. (Alternatively, dice salt pork and return to stew.) Using large spoon or ladle, skim fat from surface of stew and discard. Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Add duck meat and stir gently to combine. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8.
Meanwhile, pulse bread and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in food processor until crumbs are no larger than ¹⁄
8
inch, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to medium bowl, add parsley, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9.
Sprinkle ¹⁄
2
cup bread-crumb mixture evenly over casserole; bake, covered, 15 minutes. Remove lid and bake 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle remaining bread-crumb mixture over top of casserole and bake until topping is golden brown and beans are bubbling around edges of pot, about 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
FRESH OR DRIED BAY LEAVES?
Dried bay leaves are so common that most cooks probably use them without a second thought, but fresh bay leaves have become available in many supermarkets. In the test kitchen, we generally use fresh herbs rather than dried—bay leaves being an exception. To decide whether we should switch, we cooked up two batches of a béchamel sauce, simmering dried bay leaves in one and fresh in the other. Surprisingly, they finished in a dead heat. Here’s why: The aromatic molecules in most herbs are more volatile than water. When an herb is dried, most of the flavor evaporates along with the water. Herbs that grow in hot, arid environments—like bay leaves—are different. Their aromatic molecules are less volatile, retaining flavor even after water evaporates. Similarly, in long-cooked applications, we’ve found that dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and other herbs native to hot, arid environments do as well as their fresh counterparts. Because bay leaves are used only on long-cooked recipes and keep fresh for months in the freezer, we’ll continue using dried bay leaves instead of springing for fresh, which cost twice as much.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Few things are as soul-satisfying as a steaming bowl of old-fashioned beef stew. We wanted to create a simple yet classic beef stew with rich, deep flavor and tender bites of beef and vegetables. We chose chuck-eye roast for its great flavor and abundance of intramuscular fat and connective tissue, which makes it well-suited for long, slow, moist cooking. To thicken our stew, we followed the traditional path and stirred in some flour with the onions and garlic, right before we added red wine and chicken broth (which provided more complexity than beef broth). After the meat cooked awhile, we added the essential carrots and potatoes; frozen peas were added just before serving, as they needed only a few minutes to warm through. With minimal ease and fuss, we had created a simple but intensely flavored old-fashioned beef stew.
