Cassoulet Out the Wazoo

On Saturday Jimmy No. 43 hosted a delicious event, the Cassoulet Cookoff, complete with a bevy of area cooks, chefs and cassoulet lovers. The event provided food and drinks (not free of course) to food lovers looking to keep warm as the temperatures hovered in the single digits. Seven total cassoulet's were served ranging from the traditional with beans and sausage to the less traditional vegetarian version. All proceeds helped the greenmarket and all sausages were from greenmarket vendors. A full run down of the competitors are below with pictures:

#1: Cathy Erway, Not Eating Out in New York - an extremely sweet version complete with maple-cured sausage, ham hocks and apple cider. A great aroma the dish was just too swett for my taste and lacked the meat I was looking for.



#2: Andrew Field, Rockaway Taco and Rice - this vegetarian option through me for a loop, but I went in with an open mind. Unfortunately the lack of any meat left it bland and more like a vegetable soup.



#3: Chef Phillip Kirschen Clark, formerly of Wd-50 and Pegu Club - unfortunately I did not have any of this cassoulet and it was the one I looked forward to more than anything. Either it was so good it ran out quickly or the chef just did not plan ahead and made too little.

#4: Melissa Rebholz, cook, former greenmaket manager - there definitely was some meat in this cassoulet; sausage, ham hocks, and lamb breast which employed a rich flavor, the one I had been craving. Unfortunately the beans had been overcooked and reduced to mush ruining the texture of a delicious dish. I did enjoy the taste of this so it falls to 2nd or 3rd in my book.


#5: Jimmy's No. 43 - the housemade cassoulet had a great smokey essence to it, but was just a little too thin for my taste. A good balance of meat and beans it would have benefited from a little pop in the oven uncovered to help dry it out a bit.


#6: Kelly Geary, Sweet Deliverance - the bread crumb topping on this offered a nice bit of texture and although it was overcooked and a little dry the flavor was spot on. Since it was overcooked the beans and meat all seemed to share the same texture, but it was hearty, meaty and definitely comforting.


#7: Chef Mark Bello, Pizza A Casa - well rounded, with bold flavors, the combination of duck confit, sausage, cannelini beans and the toasted bread crumb topping made this the winner in my book. Great texture, not too dry and everythig I wanted on this freezing cold day.


Overall the event was a hit, plenty of good eats, great crowd and quality music. There will be more events like this throughout the year so stay tuned and check Jimmy's No. 43 for more information. Full menu below.