Same-Day Cassoulet

The epitome of slow food, cassoulet is a marriage of rustic yet refined flavors craftily layered and melded together into the ultimate comforting pot of garlicky white beans, snappy pork sausage, and meltingly tender duck confit. Most cooks endure the tantalizing aromas of braised meats and fragrant herbs for an agonizing two or three days as the dish is prepared, but this recipe takes you from soaking beans to scooping into the pork-laden mahogany crust all in a single day, without compromising flavor or technique. Let this be your gateway into Southern French cooking.

Sylvie Bigar, author of Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and the Stew That Saved My Soul, traveled to the South of France to report on the significance of this ancestral meat-and-bean stew. "I couldn't have guessed it would lead me on a life-changing gourmand and familial quest. But it did. Inexplicably, I became obsessed," says Bigar. Her memoir includes recipes for traditional multiday cassoulets as well as this shortcut version, which is nothing short of mouthwatering.

To jump-start the process, her recipe starts with soaking and parboiling the beans. French garlic sausage is then browned in the gold standard of fats — a medley of duck and rendered pork belly — before being nestled into an earthenware cassole. Bigar prefers clay cassoles for their even cooking, but a Dutch oven will also work — just keep a close eye on the heat to prevent scorching. This same-day cassoulet forgoes the traditional double bake and, "because time is of the essence," uses good-quality store-bought stock instead of homemade. "It reduces the prep time but also the cleaning time," adds Bigar. With a nod to efficiency and reliance on readily available yet high-quality prepared ingredients, this gateway cassoulet is sure to satisfy those gathered around your table and, Bigar wagers, "will whet your appetite for the real thing." Here's how to do it:

Parcook the Beans

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the soaked beans. Return to a boil and cook 7 minutes. Drain beans, rinse under cold water, and transfer to a bowl.

Puree the Onions and Herbs

Combine the chopped onion, garlic, parsley leaves, thyme leaves, salt, and 1/4 cup water in a blender, and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Brown the Pork Belly

Cook the chopped pork belly fat cap in an oven-safe cassole or Dutch oven until rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the cubed pork belly to the pot, and cook until browned on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pork belly to a small bowl and brown the sausages in the rendered fat and duck fat.

Cook the Onion Puree

Add the onion-herb puree to the reserved drippings. Cook over low until mixture thickens and darkens, about 10 minutes. Mix the puree with the beans.

Layer the Cassoulet

Spread one-third of the bean mixture into the pot. Top with the sausages, ham hock, duck legs, remaining beans, and stock. Bake, uncovered.

Break the Crust

Throughout the bake time, use the back of a spoon to break through the thin, film-like crust on top of cassoulet, and drizzle in stock.