So, nine anglophones go into a small-town-France bar …

Ah, this is not headed for a punchline.

Instead, it was the setting for a fine dinner (among folks with a certain amount of life experience) of that French winter staple cassoulet — which you would not want to eat every week but certainly do not want to miss having at least once or twice during the cold months.

And it was the finest cassoulet I have had, which perhaps I could have expected given the cooking skills of the cafe’s owner, Patrick.

Lots of French entrees end up on American and British tables. Beouf bourguignon, coq au vin, poulet roti, sole meuniere, blanquette de veau …

But cassoulet, the meaty bean-based casserole, seems off the radar among anglophones, and that is a bit of a mystery to me, because cassoulet is so good.

And the way Patrick, owner of the cafe, makes it …

He adds pork shoulder and lardon (bacon) to the duck confit and sausage, increasing the ratio of meat to beans, to the betterment of the meal, and making it tangier and even heartier.

The cassoulet was delivered to the table in two casserole dishes, one dish about 15 minutes ahead of the other, presumably so each portion would be served hot.

Nothing was left when the diners were finished, and the experience — including conversation from some very bright and interesting people — made the 15-euro (about $16.70) cost well worth it.

(I once had cassoulet at Le Violin d’Ingres, nearly six years ago, and it cost $40. But that was in Paris and is a one-star restaurant, compared to Patrick and his no-star cafe.)

It has been suggested to me by someone who knows more about preparing meals … that cassoulet is not as commonly made as we might suppose — because it takes two days to prepare.

It involves soaking the beans overnight, slow-cooking most of the meat, letting it cool, searing the duck … just lots of labor and attention over a long stretch of time.

Anyway, if you visit France in the winter, don’t miss a chance to order cassoulet. Especially if you are traveling with teenage boys, who (for once in their young lives) would not leave the table still feeling hungry.