- Yesterday’s Cassoulet Cook-Off was an overwhelming success with lots of yummy cassoulet being served up by both professional and amateur chefs. Some things have changed a lot in four years (Jimmy noted that “We no longer have to explain to people what a cassoulet is!”) but the inventiveness of the chefs remains. Those who picked up a spoon got to try everything from a Mexican-style chicken casserole to a “Brunswick Stew” (amateur chef Adrian Ashby substituted chicken for squirrel, we’re happy to announce) to more traditional cassoulet recipes.
In the end, the judges and people’s choice awards were split. Judges Cathy Erway (Not Eating Out in NY), Matt Timms (Chilitakedown.com), and Andrew Gottlieb (the 2011 winner) awarded the following:
- 1st Place – To Northern Spy’s Hadley Schmitt, who put together a cassoulet from homemade duck sausage (sourced from Long Island), Virginia Ham, various pork parts from Fleisher’s and great northern beans topped by Orwasher’s bread crumbs;
- 2nd Place – To Edi & The Wolf’s Marcus Langecker, whose cassoulet had a tomato base incorporating navy beans, duck confit, kasseler (pork loin that has been cured and smoked), traditional spices and vegetables, all topped with a mix of bacon, leek and croutons;
- 3rd Place – To amateur chef Laura Luciano, who sourced all ingredients from the greenmarket, including Flying Pigs Farm pork shoulder (roasted), pancetta and garlic pork sausage; Hudson Valley Duck Farm’s duck confit; and wine, vegetables and flageolet beans.
Honorable mention went to “un-cassoulet-like” offerings from Green Brown Orange’s Alejandro Alcocer (a Chicken Tinga Mexican stew served in a cassoulet pot) and amateur Noah Berland’s New England style baked beans.
The People’s Choice awards switched the judge’s top two awards, giving Edi & The Wolf the nod over Northern Spy. Honorable mentions went to Michelle Lamorte, who adapted a D’Artagnan recipe with a combination of canoline and white beans, and Adrian Ashby, whose modified southern-influenced Brunswick stew used all poultry ingredients for the meat portion, including duck bacon and turkey breast.
Congratulations to all our winners and participants!
