Not only is it not a stew (the very name should have given that away) I'd like to point out that fall isn't just "well underway" it's nearly over. Winter starts less than three weeks.

I've only tried the cassoulet at a couple of these places, but the version at Cafe Campagne comes closest to what I think of as the "classic" iteration. That being said, like most provincial recipes there are as many variations as there are people who make it. So long as you include the basic ingredients and take the time to cook all the meats separately before incorporating them with the beans, the result will be orders of magnitude superior to any similar dish you've ever tasted.

Still, I'll take bowl of my home-made Julia Child recipe over any of these - there's just nothing quite as satisfying as spending a cold, dark, blustery weekend in a kitchen filled with the mouth-watering aroma of searing flesh and seasoned legumes. To quote Flaubert, "pleasure is first found in anticipation". And a good cassoulet is well worth the wait.

Which reminds me, I think I have a tub of it in the freezer right now. Hmmm...

Betty (in Queen Anne) makes a very nice cassoulet this time of year.