Second night of cassoulet

Eastside Road, March 13, 2011—

HAVING GONE TEN DAYS without cassoulet, we invited a couple of couples over to share another. It's just as good after a week or two in the freezer, if it's made right in the first place.

We ate the one on the left: a nine-inch cassole (“Ægii,” Vallauris, no. 22), just the right amount for the six of us. We began with L's orange-and-onion salad (she forbade oysters this time) and followed the cassoulet with a green salad, ending with appletart. Time at table: about four hours.

Champagne, Canard-Duchêne, nv (rather nice); Syrah, Cowhorn (Applegate Valley, Oregon), 2006 (mature but a little closed); Zinfandel, Preston of Dry Creek, 2008; “Syrah-Sirah,” Preston of Dry Creek, 2007 (both true to character, ready to drink, rewarding); Sauvignon Blanc Dessert Wine, Belo (Napa Valley), 2000 (tasty but short); liqueurs and spirits