Cassoulet -- a daring challenge with a French flare

I came across this quote and it was simply perfect:

"Cassoulet, that best of bean feasts, is everyday fare for a peasant but ambrosia for a gastronome, though its ideal consumer is a 300-pound blocking back who has been splitting firewood nonstop for the last twelve hours on a subzero day in Manitoba."

-Julia Child, Julia Child and More Company, Cassoulet for a Crowd


Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk
and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.


I can't remember anything else I ever made that required this level of planning, preparation and effort. And I definitely can't recall when all of that time and effort paid off with such a bang.

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This is probably the latest submission for December Daring Cooks' Challenge but I just had to share...



Jenn from Jenn Cuisine and Jill (jillouci) were Daring Cooks' hosts for the month of December! For this month, they decided to focus on a technique that seems intimidating to many, but with a little practice it’s really not that hard at all – poaching. All poaching means is cooking something in simmering (not boiling) water. And what more perfect way to practice the skill of poaching than learning how to poach an egg? They can make a tasty breakfast, or salad accompaniment; there are so many different ways to use poached eggs, and they are used in cuisines from a variety of cultures.

Since poaching technique was the only thing required, I deviated a bit from the suggested recipes but I really wanted to try out Poached Green Eggs & Smoked Salmon from HERE. Absolutely delicious! Smoked salmon taste was a little too strong for otherwise a very delicate combination of the falvors -- avocado, tomato and an egg, poached in green tea. But it was oh-so-good!

Thank you, Jenn and Jill, for a fun and a delicious challenge! Will be definitely making this again!