Bonjour, les amis du vin et de cuisine. Noûs aimons les cassoulet! Hello to friends of wine and food. We love cassoulet! Welcome back to Cépage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog. Today’s post is all about cassoulet, which we shared recently with a group of friends. Needless to say, we also enjoyed a selection of several wines, which I’ll review later. Cassoulet is a traditional hearty bean and meat dish of France, especially characteristic of the south of France and the southwest in particular. From the outset, let’s stipulate that if you’ve had one cassoulet you’ve had one cassoulet. There are many, many expressions, varying from village to village and even house to house. Ariane Daguin, owner of the specialty food supplier, D’Artagnan and a native of southwest France, says making cassoulet is not so much a recipe as it is an argument. The common denominator is the beans, but it’s the wild, wild southwest after that.
Many chefs recommend duck and pork, so that’s the approach we took, drawing inspiration mainly from Julia Child’s book (who else?) and from other recipes in various publications. This was our third go around with cassoulet, so Mary says she thinks she’s getting the hang of it. A couple of things should also be said at the outset. First, this is not your basic 30 minute meal at the end of a busy workday. It is an adventure that lasts at least a couple of days. Second, it does not qualify as a low fat, low cholesterol meal, to say the least. It’s a hearty stick-to-your-ribs dinner to enjoy with friends. Invite a few friends and family to join you, open a few wines, and have fun. Here’s Mary to discuss the ingredients and preparation. Grab a coffee…this could take a little while.
Did he say coffee? How about a bottle of cooking wine? Of course, cooking wine is wine you drink while you’re cooking! Preparing cassoulet is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a romantic dinner for two. It’s a meal for a small crowd of friends or family. It’s a one-pot dish that takes every pot in the kitchen to prepare, so we only make it about once a year. But it is worth it and the flavors are fantastic.
There is a little prep work to be done a couple of days ahead. Homemade chicken stock is preferred, so you need time to make that. Making stock from a chicken carcass and fresh vegetables makes SUCH a noticeable difference in the richness and flavor. Canned broth from the supermarket pales in comparison. The pork roast has to be cooked in advance, so I did that a whole day before so it was ready the morning I was cooking everything else.
The ingredients call for a bunch of meat: a 2-lb pork loin, about 12 oz of bacon, a lb of smoked sausage, and DUCK quarters! The beans are also cooked separately, then everything is put together in layers and heated in the oven. Julia suggests marinating the pork loin the day before, which I did, and it was fantastic. So, here we go:
I covered the pork loin with salt, pepper, dried thyme, sage, bay leaf, allspice, and garlic. Julia calls it a marinade, but it’s really more of a dry rub. The pork marinated overnight, then I browned it and roasted it for a couple of hours in the oven with onion, carrot, and spices.
Two pounds of dried white beans that we brought back with us from France specifically for cassoulet went into a large pot with a bouquet garni of fresh parsley, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
Four or five whole cloves were stuck into a whole onion and added along with a cut up carrot and the bacon. The beans simmered for a couple of hours and were set aside. Be careful not to overcook the beans, as they will cook again in the oven when the cassoulet is layered.
Add enough water to cover the beans by about an inch.
The mirepoix ingredients: onions, garlic, wine, and tomatoes.
I browned the duck legs in their own fat and set them aside.
I browned the sliced smoked sausage in the same pan and set it aside.
The onions, garlic, wine, and tomatoes were simmered in the pan...then the beans were added.
Now we’re ready to layer the cassoulet!
First layer: duck legs
Second layer: a third of the beans
Third layer: the cut up pork loin
Fourth layer: another third of the beans
Fifth layer: smoked sausage
Sixth layer: the last third of the beans
Cover everything with chicken stock.
Top layer: fresh bread crumbs and fresh chopped parsley
The entire assemblage goes into the oven for an hour or so. The oven rack bows under the weight. There should be a nice crust when it comes out. Enjoy a nice salad while the cassoulet cools a bit. Voilà!
Here’s Brian to discuss the wines.
Cassoulet calls for robust, well-structured red wines that stand up to the hearty, complex flavors of the dish. I chose five different types of wines from both California and France. Following the rule of drinking the wine you like to drink with the food you like to eat, you’ll be fine with most wine and food pairing. I don’t think a lean, light-bodied Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would work here, but you could use most other reds. All of the wines I selected did okay, but most people at the table agreed that with the dish, the wines that retained more natural acidity paired better.
The consensus favorite of the evening was another Mt. Veeder wine. Random Ridge is a small artisanal producer of very high quality wines, much like the Wing Canyon wine that we loved so much at our recent Cabernet blind tasting. The Random Ridge is a 50-50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It has the structure and balance to stand up to the food and has aged beautifully since 1993. Irouleguy is a region in southwest France that is not well known to many Americans. The grape for this wine is Tannat, so named because of its fierce tannins. It leaves an astringent, drying sensation on the palate when consumed on its own, but the tannins are tamed by the fat and protein in the cassoulet to create a wine and food combination that might be described as 1 + 1 = 3, just delicious. Another region that is sort of off the beaten path for most Americans is Cahors, which is south of Bordeaux. Cahors is the genetic home of Malbec, now more famous from South America. This wine also had the stuffing to stand up to the cassoulet, yet the finesse and elegance to be interesting on its own. The other two wines, a Chateauneuf du Pape by Château La Nerthe and a warm climate Syrah from Adelaida Cellars in Paso Robles, were nice on their own, but higher in alcohol and lower in acidity. As a result, they didn’t match the food quite as well as the others, but were enjoyable nonetheless.
We opened a fabulous Sauternes for dessert. If you haven’t tried one of these, splurge on one sometime. You won’t be sorry. Our friends, Beverly and Mark, were kind enough to bring a couple of nice blue cheeses, a Maytag and a Stilton, along with some dried apricots. Talk about a great end to a great evening ! Everyone loved the Sauternes! Here are my notes on each of the wines.
Random Ridge Cabernets Mt. Veeder 1993. This was the consensus favorite of the evening, with and without food. The perfume was fantastic, complex, with herbal, floral notes and earth and leather along with a bit of currant and red fruit. The palate was totally smooth, completely silky, with medium acidity and body. The flavor elements were sage, red currant, and cherry characteristics. The balance was perfect, at least to me, wonderfully complex, and the finish sailed on. Thank you, Bill Hawley! 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Cabernet Franc, alcohol not labeled, but I’m guessing it’s in the low 13s. This was a magnum (equivalent to 2 regular bottles) which I picked up for $56. Amazing.
Clos La Coutale Cahors 2008. This is an example of what is old is new again. Cahors is the ancient home of the Malbec grape. Malbec is better known nowadays as the signature grape of Argentina, but it is thought to have originated in the Cahors region of southwest France. It is making a comeback there, and the region's wines are beginning to appear more often on the shelves of American wine merchants. The color is very dark, almost inky, with mineral aromas and dark fruit. This example from Clos la Coutale has a small amount of Merlot to add fleshiness and complexity. Nonetheless, it is still powerful, especially in its youth. The palate is not rough, but not yet completely smooth. The acidity was medium with medium body, almost full-bodied. Dark cherry, berry, and exotic minerality is appreciated. Nicely balanced, moderately complex, medium to long finish, it is a very versatile wine, enjoyable with many different hearty foods. It can be consumed on its own but pairs well with food. It is more elegant and finessed than many Mendoza expressions of Malbec, but this is a matter of preference. 80% malbec, 20% merlot, 13.0% alcohol. We paid $18 at Briarwood Wines in Jackson.
Domaine Arretxea Irouleguy 2003. This is such an interesting wine, even the name of grape, Tannat, is interesting. It is so called because of its fierce tannins and powerful structure. By Irouleguy standards, this is still a young wine, yet the aroma profile was reticent, perhaps a little dark fruit. Some attendees thought there was a petroleum element. The palate experience revealed the character of the wine. It had medium acidity for nice balance, full-bodied, with a bit of minerality, and pleasant red and dark berries and a savory, earthy quality. Not obviously rough at first, the finish left an astringent, drying quality on the tongue. When consumed with the cassoulet, however, the fat and protein tamed the tannins and what remained was the elegance of the wine and its flavor profile, complementing the food. This wine is ideal for a dish like cassoulet. 13.0% alcohol. We paid $32 for the wine at Kermit Lynch Wines in Berkeley.
Château La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape 1998. I'm a great fan of Chateau La Nerthe and their Chateauneuf du Pape. Mary and I visited the estate last year during our vacation in the southern Rhone Valley. This wine, the 1998 vintage, had all the aroma and flavor elements of a good Chateauneuf, the savory, meaty notes of the Syrah and Mourvedre, the dark fruit and the spiciness of Grenache and the blend. What it didn't have was the acid structure to stand up to the dish. The acidity was low, especially noticeable when tasted after the Random Ridge, not flabby, but the food dominated the wine -- just not an ideal pairing. Medium bodied, actually quite complex, with a medium finish, good to excellent in quality. It just needed better structure for pairing with the cassoulet. It might do better with a less complicated dinner, perhaps a simple pot roast. 50% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault, 2% others, 14.0% alcohol. We paid $40 for this wine.
Adelaida Cellars Syrah Paso Robles Viking Vineyard 2004. We have nice memories of our visits to Adelaida, high on a hilltop west of Paso Robles, with a beautiful vista stretching toward the Pacific. Viking Vineyard, nearly vertical in aspect, in the westside hills, is low-yielding with poor, rocky soil and produces an intense wine from a warm climate. The aroma profile is mostly dark fruit, blackberry, dark plum, pepper. Some folks around the table noted a mocha and vanilla quality from the barrel. The palate was soft, plush, rich, full-bodied, with low acidity. Once again, not unbalanced, but didn't have the acid structure to really enjoy with the dish. Personally, I love the meaty, savory notes of a cool climate syrah better than warm climate expressions. For those who like big, bold, New World expressions, especially when drinking wine on its own as a leisure beverage, this is very nice. For those like Mary and me who consume wine almost exclusively as an accompaniment to food, it is not quite as friendly. Although enjoyable, Mary and I both rated it our least favorite of the evening. I think some others felt the same. 14.3% alcohol. We paid $65 for this wine at the winery.
Château Rieussec Sauternes 1999. Other than the cassoulet, clearly the star of the show, this wine was probably the highlight of the evening. I made a few comments about the terroir of Sauternes and botrytized grapes, blah, blah, blah (LOL), but I think everybody was watching the bottle in my hand, as if to say, "Will you pour it, already?!" So I did, and we were all rewarded. The nose showed lemon, peach, apricot, honey, perhaps caramel or butterscotch. On the palate, it was luscious, rich, the intense sweetness balanced by excellent acidity. The balance was fantastic, the honey, citrus peel, and stone fruit flavors in harmony with almost a mineral character. Beautifully complex with a finish that goes on and on. Our friends Mark and Beverly brought Maytag blue cheese, Stilton, and dried apricots, heavenly matches for the Sauternes. Our friend, Sheryl, said she had waited all week for this. 90% Semillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Muscadelle, 13.5% alcohol. We paid $70 for this wine, and worth every penny.
Well, folks, that’s our post for today. We hope you enjoyed it and will keep coming back to Cépage et Cuisine. Comment on the blog, ask questions, offer suggestions for future articles, share your own wine and food adventures. We’d love to see more activity on the blog…the more the merrier! In the meantime,
Cheers,
Mary♥Brian
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