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Project Cassoulet


Last Spring Bon Appetit ran an article about Cassoulet (definitely with a capital "C"). This is not a recipe - it's more of a project so it deserves a capital "C." I ripped it out of the magazine and fantasized about making it.

The duck leg confit seemed intimidating - where was I getting that extra duck fat from? Where was I getting an 8qt dutch oven? That's huge! I put it away and then put it out of my mind. I then came across it again and put it away again.

Then I came across on the intertubes that you could sous vide duck confit. This was a revelation. It seemed easy and you didn't need any additional duck fat. You just used the existing duck fat from the legs. OK so now this was starting to look like it could happen.

I pondered it a little further. Could I use two different dutch ovens instead of an 8 qt? Maybe? Would it come out the same? I asked someone I knew who seemed like she would have made cassoulet and she had. She used one dutch oven and then an oven-safe regular aluminum pot. I realized that my cast iron Dutch oven was 4 qts. I would need another 4 qt pot. Then I saw a good deal on a Lodge 7 1/2 qt  Dutch oven and impulse bought it (hey it will be great to use for soups and roasting chicken when my 4qt one seems a tad bit too small AND hey they had it in blue).

Next was to source out the ingredients. I wasn't concerned about Italian sausage or the boneless pork shoulder. I was a little concerned about the 6 duck legs. My local butcher (who is fabulous!) had them in stock. So I bought the legs, sausage, and pork and they're all patiently waiting in my freezer.

Next was to map out the timeline for THE EVENT. So now I'm anxiously awaiting for Day 1. Stay tuned to see how the duck confit goes.
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