Interesting how these two pics of cassoulet are so different.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/233971

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassoulet

And I love this explanation of the pronunciation of the dish:

Cassoulet [that's pronounced Cass-, as in late singer Mama and -oulet, as in crooner Robert Goulet], is a combination of beans and a mix of meats. If only I could sing nearly as well as either, I'd probably have someone cooking this up for me.

j

Interesting how these two pics of cassoulet are so different

The picture in the Epicurious recipe doesn't look right at all. Cassoulet is not a vertical food. The recipe, however, doesn't match the picture and doesn't sound too bad from a quick scrutiny.

I will never again set foot inside Birches after a seriously misguided incident there a couple of years ago with the manager. Rude, inconsiderate and without any sense of hospitality. They do not deserve my business and I have actively campaigned my friends and associates to never patronize that establishment and I encourage all readers of this blog to never support this business.

I have a friend who told me never to eat there (or if we did, not to leave the tip in cash) because the ownership/management had questionable practices in terms of paying out credit card tips to employees (something I had never thought of before - but it makes me try to leave cash tips when I can). There are so many other great places to eat in Baltimore that it has been pretty easy for us to avoid Birches.

Blog power?!!!

Hmm.... Sounds like a job for the Taloned Avengers.

Where is our Feathered Friend when we need him??

What happened Jay C? Any chance they can make it right? They seem like nice people who are interested in getting people to come to their place. Could you be bribed with corn??

And to sandbox, et al., I swear I'm a frequent poster, "Lisa" is just not the non de plume(s) you may have been seeing from me. Please show some blog power! Cassoulet is a real pain to make, but it is great comfort food. It's a fine deal to have someone else make it for you.

Cassoulet is a real pain to make,

A full-fledged cassoulet can be a pain to make, but you can get a good amount of the sensation of one with not so much pain, especially if you can find duck confit to add to it (Whole Foods at Inner Harbor East actually had some duck stuff, including confit, this past weekend, after a several month long general dearth of duck products).

Jacque Pepin's Fast Food My Way (I think that's the title) has a nice recipe for a quick and dirty cassoulet (using canned beans) that isn't bad at all. There's something to be said for being able to produce cassoulet on a weeknight.

It's a fine deal to have someone else make it for you.

Yes indeed, it is. One of my favorite places to get it is Bistro D'Oc in DC (across the street from Ford's Theater), but it's kind of far away for regular indulgence.

Lisa-
At this point in time, they cannot make it right. We gave them the opportunity to make it right at the time it happened and told them the situation was completely unacceptable and that we would be leaving. Their response was threatening to call the police and to pay for food that we were not going to eat after this "incident" arose.

Since you've mentioned they were "nice people" I'm reasonably sure your experience was different than my own. However, I have no intention of ever setting foot in that place - especially when there are so many other places in this city with people who are nicer and genuinely interested in providing a hospitable environment for their patrons.

And the cassoulet at Petit Louis isn't bad at all. And it's easier to park.

Mark Bittman had a recipe for "Streamlined Cassoulet" in his New York Times blog, Bitten, two weeks ago.

Note to EL -- yes, some of us foodies do occasionally look at others' blogs -- but we always come back to D@L. ;-)

Love that. EL

Jay C.: If I felt as strongly as you do about supporting local restaurants, I would give a small mom-and-pop operation like Birches a second chance. At least I wouldn't badmouth it to thousands of people, which might be enough to seriously hurt business. An owner can't always control what a bad employee does. If it was a chain they would probably handle things better because of their employee training programs and you'd get a $50 gift certificate in the mail to boot. Principles like supporting small local businesses only work if you're willing to take the bad with the good.

To Rose: EL twisted my arm so here is "Mother's Cassoulet".

1½ - 2lb. pork roast
1 lb pork sausage links
1 pt. blackeyed peas
1 cup red wine
1 cup chopped mushrooms
Olive oil
1 large onion
Stock
1 clove garlic
Herbs
Fresh ground pepper
Parsley

Roast the pork in a hot oven until it is brown. (about ½ hour). Drain off the fat and bury the roast in the peas which have already been soaked. Add stock and simmer till peas are done. Remove meat and slice. Chop onion and garlic; cook until transparent in a little olive oil. Add to peas along with mushrooms, herbs, pepper and wine. Brown sausage links and drain. Place layers of peas, sliced pork and sausage in a large casserole. Bake covered in a 275 - 300 degree oven for 2 hours. Uncover and bake ½ to 1 hour longer. (Add wine or stock if needed while baking.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley so that the guests will not think they are being offered baked beans.

[Foot note: This was published in a community cook book. My guess is the secret may be in the herbs she used when she made it herself for company. And am sure I remember duck in it. And I thought it had at least one other type bean.]

Gosselyn-
Yes, I am about supporting local restaurants and hyping them up as much as possible to give them a fighting chance against the chains.

However, I am NOT about glossing over the bad and pretending that the bad do not exist as you seem to be suggesting. Merely because the restaurant is "local" does not give them a pass to do whatever they please. The service and food must be at least good and preferably superior to the chains.

$50 gift certificate? What is this? Bribery? I support local restaurants by paying for my meal. I'm not interested in a free meal at the restaurant. I will never go back to that restaurant ever again. They could offer me a lifetime of free meals and that would not change the situation.

I have visited Birches at least once or twice a year since it converted from the Wild Mushroom. My experiences have been the antithesis of those mentioned by Michele and Jay C. The food has always been well prepared,the menu has specials, which are sometimes a little high in price, though their comfort food menu is a doggone bargain. The service can be a bit slow at times, but they keep you informed, and the kitchen is a small operation. I accept these things. I do not order wine but I do linger and I have never been pushed out for another customer. I will admit to having bad service in a facility and telling people, but the complaints were defined and specific. Half a story on a blog site is not fair. If people want to rant I ask that they setup their own blogspot and not deter from HELPFUL and INFORMATIVE dialogue.
Oh like many neighborhood places, the parking stinks for those of us who cannot walk there.

The ultimate read of cassoulet is in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." The recipe is over 5 pages long. I am not a Francophile, but long may this type of recipe live and fatten us. (Hopefully, some species will make use of our livers.)
Wegman's regularly had duck confit from D'Artagnan. Anone know where to get garlic sausage?

Thanks, BB!

Many recipes in community cookbooks leave out a few important items that only the chef knows - whether by accident or design.

So if you remember duck and another type of bean, I'm sure they were there and just never made it to the printed version.

I know you are supposed to use flageolet beans and fresh pork rind, but I get by with white beans and uncured bacon.

worst dining experiences in my life! The cobbler was burnt, main dishes were over-cooked, we were told they were "out of chicken" which eliminates more than half of the menu. Whats more, service was rude and slow. I recently read that Birches is "for sale"... this explains a lot.

Hell hath no fury like Kelly scorned.

Kelly -- I see that you are now digging through the D@L archives to find every single entry that mentions Birches, so that you can post the same tired bunch of complaints, over and over and over again, about your dissatisfaction with your one meal there. You have made your point. Please move on -- the Sandbox is getting tired of your repetitive rantings. Enough, already!

Your time has come your second skin
Cost so high the gain so low
Walk through the valley
The written word is a lie

I could be wrong I could be right
Could be wrong -
The put a hot wire to my head
Cos of the things I did and said
A model citizen in every way
Your time has come your second skin
Cost so high the gain so low

Anger is an energy
Anger is an energy

Now take a deep breath KellyBelly and consider your job done.