Cassoulet

Is My Blog Burning 11 - Beans

- French Baked Beans

Soak 1 kg white beans over night. In the morning, cook the beans with a bundle of parsley, 1 bay laurel leaf and a pinch of salt about two hours with a soft fire until tender; set aside.

Rub the inside of your casserole with garlic. Place a layer of beans, drained, pieces of confit of duck or goose, chunks of sausage, chunks of lamb and some confit fat. Sprinkle with a few slices of carrots (optional) and sliced onions and garlic. Cover with the rest of the beans. Pour the reserved bean liquid over all, cover and set into the oven with a slow fire (300ºF). Cook until the liquid is absorbed and a uniformly brown crust has formed. If the cassoulet becomes dry, add a little hot broth, but gently, so as not to disturb the crust. Serve from the earthen pot very hot with crusts of freshly baked bread.

Be sure and check out Derrick's and Tom's entries for cassoulet--they have all the modern explanations and steps deliniated--sadly, 18thC receipts were very sparsely detailed, as most everyone knew the steps to be taken. As a result, translating recipes from Old French can be frustrating.