With cold weather comes the irresistible urge to enjoy a hot bowl of the ultimate comfort food: cassoulet. Watch Ariane making cassoulet with Jake Cohen at the Tasting Table kitchen, and learn the principles (and rules) of cooking this classic dish.

Once you understand the basics, it’s easy to improvise and create your own version of cassoulet. Of course, the best place to start is with our Cassoulet Recipe Kit, available with or without a clay cassole (the cooking vessel that gives cassoulet its name).

Ariane’s Tips for Cooking and Serving Cassoulet:

• Mix the beans with the meat once all the beans are cooked, and some of them start to burst. The beans should be soft before the final process of combining meat and beans begins.
• There are 6 duck legs in the kit. These should be cut in half at the joint if you plan to cook and serve them on the bone. It is easier to feed a crowd if you shred the duck leg confit and layer it with the other meats. This disperses it evenly throughout the mixture, giving each mouthful a combination of flavors.
• Don’t hesitate to cut open the crust to check if the casserole is drying out too much inside. The texture should be that of a thick stew. If the texture seems too dry or pasty, add some liquid, such as stock or demi-glace.
• Cassoulet should be eaten very hot.
• Drink a robust red wine with cassoulet, like Madiran or Malbec.
• Cassoulet is quite filling, so is often served with little else than a refreshing salad and a slice of rustic bread to mop out the bowl.
• And don’t forget to enjoy the leftovers. Cassoulet is always better the next day

We welcome your cassoulet questions, stories, and photos. Write a review on our website if you have used our recipe kit, or share pics and chat with us on social media. Tag @dartagnanfoods on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to get the conversation started.