Cassoulet (and Soufflé)

After seeing Chris's French food meals of Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon, I thought I'd continue the trend. I'd been inspired to try Cassoulet after having a delicious version at LM not long ago, so I decided to make it on Saturday since Kristen had the day off from work as well. This is a hearty, long-cooking comfort food meal that really hit the spot on a cold, snowy weekend.

Things started off on the wrong foot as I had forgotten to soak the dried great northern beans the night before. I happened to get up early on Saturday morning, so I soaked them in a large bowl of cold water first thing in the morning. They ended up soaking about 7 hours. Close enough. I put the beans in a large roasting pan along with a lamb shank, a few chunks of smoked hunter's bacon, a pork trotter (for richness and gelatin), thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves and a few carrots, just so that I could say I had some vegetables. I also added some spices such as black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and some others.

I put the pan in the oven and cooked it for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the oven at 350F. When it

came out, the beans were tender, but not mushy. I set it to the side, and I grilled up some smoked polish garlic sausages, and reheated and crisped the skin of a half duck. When the final 2 meats were cooked, I assembled all of the meats with the beans, and topped with a combination of panko breadcrumbs and crushed homemade croutons. The cassoulet was put under the broiler to create a crunchy crust.

Garnished with some chopped parsley and topped with a spritz of lemon, the cassoulet was plated with a bit of each meat on top of a bed of the beans. A dish with 4 meats (braised bacon, roasted duck, grilled polish sausage, and braised lamb shank; the trotter was removed after cooking) and beans is right up my alley. Deliciously rich and hearty, my first attempt at cassoulet was terrific. After being concerned throughout the cook that the beans were overcooked, I was glad to see that they were tender with a plesant bite. The lamb shank could have used another 30 minutes to braise, but bacon was nice and tender. I was very happy with the decision to grill the sausages as well, as the char added another dimension to the dish. The next time I make this I'll add a bit more liquid, to create a bit more sauce with the beans.

As good as the cassoulet was, it wasn't even the best thing eaten that night. What better way to follow rich French food than a light soufflé? I convinced Kristen to make a chocolate soufflé for dessert, and it was the perfect finish to the meal. Eggy and light, yet intensely chocolately. Some melted vanilla bean ice cream was a great lazy-man's sauce to accompany the soufflé.