“If you’re going to have ice cream, you might as well get a sundae,” says Jon Krinn. The chef-owner of Clarity in Vienna is talking about his over-the-top cassoulet. He’s serving it throughout the month of March as part of meat supplier D’Artagnan’s Cassoulet War 2021.
For seven years, D’Artagnan has boosted the meat-filled French bean stew with a tasting competition that features the brand’s products. More than 40 restaurants around the country are participating by producing their own spin on the dish. In the DMV, other participants include Le Diplomate in DC and Petite Louis Bistro in Baltimore.
Krinn credits chef de cuisine Nick Palermo with the idea of entering the Cassoulet War for the first time this year, but he’s been preparing the dish for years. The chef says he learned the manifold skills required to make his luxe version of cassoulet while cooking at Le Centenaire in the Périgord region of France. As indicated by the name of sauce Périgourdine, the area is known for its truffles, and the earthy fungi find their way into Clarity’s cassoulet.
But that’s not the only over-the-top addition. Atop the stew of slowly braised tarbais beans, there’s homemade duck confit; cured, then sous-vide-cooked pork belly; house-crafted duck-and-pork sausage; and a thick portion of seared foie gras.
“It’s a ‘Let’s get over 2020′ kind of cassoulet,” says Krinn. “We all want to get over 2020. This version will make you forget it for a little while.” // 442 Maple Ave. East, Vienna
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