A Same-Day Cassoulet Recipe That Makes No Compromises With Flavor

Cassoulet is a marriage of refined flavors craftily layered and joined together into a comfortable pot of white beans with garlic, pork sausages, and tender duck confit. It’s the epitome of slow food, and most cooks prepare it for two or three days. However, there’s a faster way to make this dish.

A Same-Day Cassoulet Recipe That Makes No Compromises With FlavorCassoulet Can Be Made in a Day

Making a cassoulet with a recipe that takes only one day sounds great, especially considering that it makes no compromises in terms of technique or flavor! With it, anyone cooking at home won’t have to endure the tantalizing aroma of fragrant herbs and braised meats for more than several hours. The shortcut version of cassoulet is nothing short of mouthwatering, but it also requires some careful preparation.

Cooking Cassoulet With Stock From the Store

Soaking and parboiling the beans is the secret to jump-starting the process of making cassoulet. A French garlic sausage should be browned in a medley of duck and rendered pork belly before it gets nestled into an earthenware pot. The same-day cassoulet leaves behind the traditional double bake and uses high-quality stock from the store. This greatly reduces the preparation and cleaning time.

First, the beans should be partially cooked. This is done by adding the soaked beans to boiling water and cooking them for seven minutes. Then, the beans should be rinsed under cold water and transferred to a bowl. Now, the onions and herbs should be pureed. Chopped onions should be combined with garlic, parsley leaves, and thyme leaves, as well as salt, and a quarter cup of water. Those can be mixed in a blender for about 30 seconds until a smooth substance is achieved.

The Cassoulet Should Be Layered Properly

Browning the pork belly is very important. First, the chopped pork belly fat should be cooked in an oven-safe pot for about four minutes. Then, the cubed pork belly should be added to the pot and cooked until it gets brown on all sides. This takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Now, the pork belly can be transferred into a small bowl, the sausages can be browned in the rendered fat, and some additional duck fat can be added. The onion puree should be added to the reserved dripping and cooked at a low temperature until the mixture becomes thick and dark. This takes about 10 minutes. After that, the puree should be mixed with the beans.

When everything is ready, the Cassoulet should be layered properly. First, one-third of the bean mixture should be placed into the pot. Then, it should be topped with the sausages, ham hock, duck legs, remaining beans, and stock. This should be baked uncovered. The crust that will form during backing should be broken periodically with a spoon until the dish is ready.