Schedule time
The soaking is part of the overall time. Those who use dried beans should start the evening before, so that the beans cook more evenly later.
French Recipe
Cassoulet with duck confit
For this cassoulet, soaked white beans are pre-cooked, layered with strong meat and aromatic broth and slowly melted in the oven. The typical dark crust is formed several times.
Total time
16 hr 10 min
Calories
860 kcal
Servings
8 servings
Difficulty
Advanced
Why this recipe works
Cassoulet from the oven with beans, duck and sausage
A good cassoulet does not need a complicated technique, but time. The beans should become creamy soft without completely decaying, while duck confit, sausage and pig belly leave their spice to the broth. The dish can be prepared very well and tastes particularly balanced after a rest period.
French Recipes
Dinner
Meat
Pulses
Recipe
Cassoulet with duck confit
Cassoulet combines white beans, duck confit, Toulouse sausage and pig belly to form a slowly stewed classic from southwest France.
Ingredients
8 servings
Method
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1
Soak beans
Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and soak for 12 hours. Then drain, rinse and cook slightly softly covered with fresh water for 45 to 60 minutes. Only slightly salt towards the end and drain.
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2
Roast meat
Preheat the oven to 160 °C top/bottom heat. Remove duck clubs from the fat. Brown the pig belly and sausages in a heavy casserole portion in the duck fat all around and remove them again.
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3
Aromatic base cooking
Sweat onions and carrots in frying fat for 6 minutes. Roast garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes, broth, thyme and bay leaf and boil once.
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4
Coating Cassoulet
Place about half of the beans in a deep casserole. Spread the pork belly, sausages and duck clubs on it, cover with the remaining beans and pour in so much hot broth that the beans are just covered.
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5
Slowly stew
Bake the cassoulet open for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As soon as a dark skin forms, gently press it under the surface with a spoon twice. If necessary, pour some hot broth; the dish should remain juicy but not supple.
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6
Rest and taste
Remove the cassoulet from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes and remove bay leaf and thyme. Only now season with salt and pepper, because confit and sausage already bring a lot of spice.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for Cassoulet with duck confit
Juicy instead of dry
During baking, liquid must still be visible just below the crust. Just pour hot broth so that the cooking process is not interrupted.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
Replace duck confit with two fried duck clubs and check the cooking time. The result is easier, but requires a little more broth and duck fat.
A part of the pig belly can be replaced by 300 g of lambs. Cut the meat into large cubes and fry together with the pig belly.
Nutrition per serving
860kcal
55.0 gCarbohydrates
54.0 gProtein
43.0 gFat
Values are estimates per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Cassoulet with duck confit
French Tarbais beans are ideal. Cannellini or other medium-sized white beans also work when soaked overnight and precooked only slightly.
The browned surface gives the Cassoulet roasted aromas and binds part of the liquid. By careful suppression a new crust can form without drying out the beans.
Yes. Let the fully cooked cassoulet cool, cool covered and heat slowly the next day at 160 °C. Before add some broth if the beans have absorbed a lot of fluid.
The beans are soft and creamy, but partly retain their shape. The meat dissolves easily, the broth is ally and on the surface there is a strongly browned crust.
Cool leftovers within two hours, store them in a refrigerator and heat them completely within two days. To freeze, pack the cassoulet in portion.
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