Fantasy Meal

Part of what I love about my job is that people come to me with their deepest, most secret food fantasies and ask me to make them a piece of their reality. Part of the fun can be recreating a food memory from childhood, or helping someone revisit their European honeymoon. I never get bored. People build a life which includes culinary bricks. They stack Grandma's pot roast on top of merguez sausage, on top of chicken noodle soup and PB&J sandwiches, on top of menudo on top of well, you get it. Life is a series of meals which tell a story. My youngest child will always be reminded that her first solid meal was cassoulet.

The ingredients for this cassoulet were given to my husband and myself as a birthing gift from Scott and Rachel. We saved it through that spring, summer and fall because cassoulet is a meal best eaten in bitterly cold weather. It warms the body and the soul. So when the snow flew in the air, I flew to the kitchen and began the process. Cassoulet is a process. Soaking beans, braising duck legs in fat, chopping, simmering, the French are masters of layering flavors. Cassoulet is a meal that takes time and a lot of love to prepare. We invited guests (my parents) to share this indulgent feast, and were all consumed with slurping, savoring and sopping up the cassoulet with the baby on my lap when she reached out and grabbed a hunk of duck off my spoon. Now, I love duck with all my being and was conflicted. Should I snatch my favorite bite from my baby's chubby mitt, or should I delight in the fact that she reached for it? Well, before I could process the thought, she was gnawing away at it and grinning like a fool in love, so I knew that she was a baby after my own tastes. It was a bonding moment. I will never be able to eat cassoulet again without thinking of her sweet face and satisfied smile after we shared that first dish. I have since concocted my own fantasies about the two of us flying off to France some February years from now, seeking out a small, poorly lit bistro, and sharing this story with her over some nice braised duck, flageolet, sausage, and pork belly bathed in that rich, supple gravy.

If you are in search of a good cassoulet recipe to follow I can recommend two.

First, of course will be Julia Child's recipe in which she refers to the dish as

"French Baked Beans"

It is on page 399 of MTAOFC (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) vol 1

She offers several variations on the dish and is of course painstakingly precise in her rendering of this classic, yet rustic dish.

Second is in Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook Page 212

I have eaten this dish at Les Halles and it is superb, in fact I have eaten it there on more than one occasion. If you visit New York, I recommend you do the same. I have used this recipe at home as well, and it has turned out flawlessly each time.