Cassoulet Catering, Guelph, ON

When I was at Cooking School in Stratford, each student had to pick the name of a dish out of a hat to do a report on. I watched with envy as my peers selected exotic dishes from parts of the world that conjured images of fantastic colours and lively flavours. Then I drew my dish: “Cassoulet.” “Great, ” I thought ” French baked beans…..” I was soooo pissed!!

What I learned, however, would eventually change the way I approached cooking forever.

Three French Regions debate over which of them first invnted and refined Cassoulet. In all cases, the dish combines various preserved meats (sausage, smoked meats, confit of duck, etc) with slowly baked, unctuous shell beans and rich stock. The dish is the epitome of refined comfort food: so simple and, yet, so simply ruined. Utilizing the best regional ingredients and a pure embrace of the seasonal goodies found around you.