Butter Me Up Baked Butter Bean Bacon And Thyme Cassoulet Recipes

BUTTER ME UP! BAKED BUTTER BEAN, BACON AND THYME CASSOULET

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400°F Lightly grease an ovenproof gratin dish with a little olive oil.
• Topping: Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic together. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Cassoulet: Fry the bacon pieces in a large frying pan until crisp. Take the bacon pieces out and add the chopped onions - fry them gently in the bacon fat until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the fresh thyme leaves and mix through.
• Add the bacon to the onion and thyme mixture and then gently mix the butter beans through the mixture.
• In a large bowl, add the crème fraiche, tomato paste, wine and sugar - mix thoroughly. Season with pepper and a little salt, as the bacon is already quite salty.
• Add the bacon and butter bean mixture to the crème fraiche and wine sauce - mix gently.
• Transfer all the butter bean mixture to the greased gratin dish. Sprinkle the topping over evenly and place the sliced tomatoes on top in an attractive pattern.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cassoulet is bubbling and the topping is a golden brown.
• Serve immediately with a large bowl of salad and crusty bread, or, as an accompaniment for sausages, roast meat and poultry, casseroles, stews or grilled meat.
• Serves 3 people as a main meal and 6 people as an accompaniment.

BAKED BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large kettle, combine beans and water. Bring to boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 1 hour. Do not drain.
• Add celery, carrots, bouillion cubes and salt. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
• meanwhile , roll sausage pieces into small balls, saute in a large skillet until browned. Remove sausage. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, brown in drippings. Remove chicken.
• Saute onion, add tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Combine all ingredients, except chicken and bean liquid, in a greased 6 quart Dutch oven .
• Top with chicken pieces. Pour 1 1/2 cups reserved bean liquid over casserole, sprinkle with paprika.
• Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

HOW TO MAKE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Soak Great Northern beans in water in a large bowl overnight. Drain beans and place into a large soup pot. Push whole clove into the 1/2 onion and add to beans; stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and 10 cups water. Bring beans to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until beans have started to soften, about 1 hour. Drain beans and reserve the cooking liquid, removing and discarding onion with clove and bay leaf. Transfer beans to a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cook bacon in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned and still limp, about 5 minutes. Stir celery, carrots, and 1/2 diced onion into bacon; season with salt. Cook and stir vegetables in the hot bacon fat until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat; brown sausage link halves and duck confit in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Season vegetable-bacon mixture with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cracked black pepper, and herbes de Provence; pour in diced tomatoes. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until juice from tomatoes has nearly evaporated and any browned bits of food on the bottom of pot have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir mixture into beans.
• Spread half the bean mixture into the heavy Dutch oven and place duck-sausage mixture over the beans; spread remaining beans over meat layer. Pour just enough of the reserved bean liquid into pot to reach barely to the top of the beans, reserving remaining liquid. Bring bean cassoulet to a simmer on stovetop and cover Dutch oven with lid.
• Bake bean cassoulet in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add 4 crushed garlic cloves, panko crumbs, and parsley to the melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over crumbs. Stir to thoroughly combine.
• Uncover cassoulet and check liquid level; mixture should still have several inches of liquid. If beans seem dry, add more of the reserved bean liquid. Spread half the crumb mixture evenly over the beans and return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. There should be about 2 or 3 inches of liquid at the bottom of the pot; if mixture seems dry, add more reserved bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining half the bread crumb mixture over cassoulet.
• Turn oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake cassoulet, uncovered, until crumb topping is crisp, edges are bubbling, and the bubbles are slow and sticky, 20 to 25 more minutes. Serve beans on individual plates and top each serving with a piece of duck and several sausage pieces.