Please join us this week for Chef Alexander Burger’s award winning cassoulet, the perfect antidote to the cold New York weather.
Chef Alex’s dish is inspired by his mother-in-law, who is from the town of Castelnaudary, the picturesque town in the Languedoc-Roussillon that claims to be the ancestral home of cassoulet. Chef’s dish is well-researched and well-proofed, with attention paid to every detail and every decision. Sitting down to speak with Chef about the cassoulet, I learned that he went so far as to speak with the local butcher and his wife in Castelnaudary, in order to learn the true secrets of the preparation. For example, he learned to put the bones of the Bayonne ham (a particular style of ham from the town of Bayonne in Southwest France) in with the beans. Chef also learned to use a particular style of smoked pork sausage popular in Toulouse for the preparation, our preparation is made in house. One of my favorite anecdotes from speaking with Chef was that while on the phone with the butcher and his wife, that they began arguing as to whether or not one should finish the dish with breadcrumbs!
Last year, in preparation for D’Artagnan’s Cassoulet Contest, which Chef Alex ultimately won, he had the great pleasure of meticulously proofing various recipes with Chef Daniel, whose inspiration was to add the skin from the Jambon de Paris, which adds texture, gelatin and flavor to the dish. Another secret for those who want to try this at home, to use haricots Tarbais, a bean which flourishes at the foot of the Pyrenees. The creamy texture of the bean is delicious, but the Tarbais also adds a beautiful starch which helps naturally thicken the jus. For the final step, Chef finishes the dish with a little bit of foie gras, and this year, Alex is siding with the butcher’s wife, and not adding the breadcrumbs.
MONDAY
Domaine Tempier, Bandol ‘La Tourtine’ 2015
TUESDAY
Chateau La Tour de Mons, Margaux 2006
WEDNESDAY
Domaine Gourt de Mautens, Vaucluse 2012
THURSDAY
Olga Raffault, Chinon ‘Les Picasses’ 2006
FRIDAY
Château du Grand Bos, Graves 2005
SATURDAY
Domaine Guiberteau, Saumur ‘Les Arboises’ 2009
SUNDAY
Mas Coutelou, Languedoc-Roussillon ‘Vin des Amis’ 2015