Making cassoulet, need ingredients

[vanillagorilla]

I'd like to make a cassoulet for the holidays, but am in need of some of the ingredients. I can order everything online, but I'd prefer to get it locally if possible.

The things I'm going to need to definitely find are:
1lbs of fresh pork rind
2lbs of pork belly
2-3lbs of Tarbais beans

Also, I'm going to be making my own confit. I've got duck already, but I'd like to make some goose confit. Do any of the poultry/meat shops (A&J, University, etc) sell just goose quarters like they do duck quarters?

[zoogrrrl]

Try PFI (Big John's Pacific Food Importers) on 6th near the ID for dried or canned cannellini beans!

[plutch]

DeLaurenti in the Market has Tarbais beans, a little pricey but if you want to do it right (like I do) they are the "official" beans of Cassoulet. I have also bought duck confit there and duck fat.

[TacoBusHound]

Not sure if you are still checking this string, but I'm in the same boat and was wondering if the Tarbais beans made a big difference? I need two pounds and at $15/lb, want to make sure it is worth the extra effort.

[vanillagorilla]

Honestly, probably not. They were better (especially after freezing) but I don't think they were that much better.

[magfoodguy]

BTW. Chef Shop on Elliot sometimes have tarbais beans. It is my understanding that they will available only after the first of the year and only if the French do not buy them all. They are hard to find. As for Flageolet, you can buy them at DeLaurentis.

[paulj]

So how different would the dish be if made with Cannellini or Great Northern beans? $14/lb for beans doesn't seem worth it.

paulj

[magfoodguy]

They have pork belly at Don & Joe's at the Pikes Place Market. You have to ask for it.

[Barry Foy]

Double check this, because I know it sounds unlikely, but I believe that Don & Joe's has readymade duck confit as well.

[jenn]

If you want really local pork rind et al, why not talk to the Sea Breeze farm people? They have all manner of pork parts. I think they are always at the University market on Saturdays.

I haven't seen tarbais beans but then we haven't been here that long. Still with my bean dishes like Cassoulet, I am cautious about getting potentially stale beans that don't cook properly. I might consider substituting a more local bean from the bulk section at Madison Market or PCC.

[vanillagorilla]

I do buy eggs from them, and beef and pork from other purveyors at the University Market. I've found they all have trouble getting me pork belly. What they don't cure themselves tend to go to restaurants.

[paulj]

Does the rind need to be salted? If not, I suspect a good alternative would be a couple of pig ears, or a foot. Another source of salted pork would be some chunks of Smithfield style dry cured ham. Some time ago I bought a Smithfield picnic ham from 99Ranch, and cut it into chunks, which I keep in the freezer for use in dishes like this.

I have an old Time Life book on beans and grains. Besides a couple of casoulet recipes, it has a Guernsey Bean Jar recipe. Simply put, combine white beans (Great Northern, soaked), a pig foot, beef shank, honey comb trip, onions, and carrots in a casserole (bean jar), bring to a boil, and simmer for 8 hrs.

paulj

[vanillagorilla]

The foot and or ear would add the collagen and gelatin, but it doesn't melt the way the rind does, and would need to be removed before serving.

[howard 1st]

RE: goose quarters - remember that you need not only the goose legs and wings but sufficient rendered fat in which to poach them after curing - though i do not know of any butchers selling goose parts, the opportunity to have a 'spare' goose breast (for the smoker?) at the same time as lots of goose fat (for the world's finest fried potatoes) and the intense pleasure of goose cracklings makes the prospect of starting with a whole goose a most pleasant one - BTW, i have had success with flageolet beans available at metropolitan markets

[vanillagorilla]

My method of making confit doesn't require much fat. I simply put them in a vacuum sealed bag with about a 1/8 - 1/4 cup of fat, and poach at 180 degrees or so for 8 hours. It's exactly the same as confit with lots of fat, but much less messy and requires much less fat.

I like the idea of buying a whole goose, but my butchering skills leave much to be desired.

Do you smoke the goose breasts on or off the bone? I have a WSM and a smoked goose breast sounds good. Do you skin and defat it first?

[howard 1st]

....but the rendered fat is a goal in and of itself; the confit is just something to do with the 'less desirable' parts - have your butcher cut the glorious honker into the portions you desire; i smoke off-bone but with fat and skin since i like it that way (smoked goose fat spread on pumpernickel and sprinkled with sea salt is wonderful) but it would work nearly as well without the fat and skin (which you can then send to my house....)

[vanillagorilla]

I think you almost have me convinced. Do you just slow smoke it until the temp hits 165 or so?

[howard 1st]

no differently than smoking a turkey - i would go to 170 - as for other points being made in this string, if ears and trotters are used (and they are harder to locate than belly...), they should certainly be served as some people (ahem!) consider them delicacies - don and joe's does, indeed, carry duck confit as does fero's across pike place - using imported beans is ridiculous for a dish designed to be cheap and filling; any white bean (or even limas or blackeyes) will do just fine - just don't forget the crust which many consider the best part....

[vanillagorilla]

I've just never enjoyed the dish made with navy beans or great northerns. They tend to break down into a mush. I've had luck with Flageolet beans, but Tarbais are supposed to be much better.

I concede that the dish is supposed to be cheap and filling. But it's cheap and filling for an 18th century farmer in the south of France. They had duck fat, sausages, pork parts, and confit laying around.

For me, homemade confit, homemade sausages, and pork belly are special occasion foods. I might as well go the extra mile for a special occasion bean as well.

[vanillagorilla]

Thanks for the info so far. Anyone know about the goose?

[briangorman]

Not sure there'd be much difference in taste or texture between duck legs and goose legs, given the long cooking time for confit and glorious exchange of flavors that takes place.

[Daniel]

Uwajimaya usually has fresh pork rind and pork belly. Viet Wah and Ranch Market would be other sources.

I've gotten my Tarbais beans from Purcell Mountain Farms in ID. http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/i...

Chefshop.com occasionally has Tarbais beans as does D'Artagnan. Other than Chefshop, I've never found them locally.

Bon Apetit!

[dagoose]

Best pork belly I've found is at the HT Mart where the Larry's on Aurora used to be.

[paulj]

Up north (or south or Renton) the obvious place to the pork is 99 Ranch (Edmonds, hwy 99 around 224)..

[mands917]

Williams-Sonoma sells Flageolet beans which are a classic ingredient.