Chef Takashi's Braised Pork Belly (My version- The pre google era)

Do you remember the pre google era?. I do. Do you remember how you got your recipes? I do! Oh i remember those days:

1. I was glued to the TV every Sunday watching Julia Child's "The French Chef" and Stephen Yan's "Wok W/ Yan" with my pencil and paper on hand. I loved wok w/ yan's aprons;).

2. Tear pages from a magazine especially at M.D.'s office. Shhh! ;) oh please don't tell me you haven't done that before!

3. Go to the library and borrow some cookbooks or copy/ write them down. Nooo...not tear the pages!!!...thought of that before but never did, too scared, I'd get in trouble! lol!!!!

4. From my mother, MIL, grandma and relatives. The only problem w/ this source? you did not get the exact measurements. You usually get the "oh, i don't know..maybe a handful of this, half a palm of that or i have this special spoon or ladle that i make as my standard base for my measurement".  But i managed to get my mama's exact measurements by cooking the dish with her and document the process step by step!

5. Deconstruct. I still do this up to now. I savor dishes slowly and analyze what spices, herbs etc. are in the dish. In fact this is the reason for this blog.

My sister and I recently visited my daughter in Chicago and dined at Takashi (a Michelin Starred Restaurant) where she work at the garde manger station. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed everything we had from the appetizer to the dessert. Now that'll be a different blog. It'll follow.

This blog will be about a specific dish we ordered. OMGosh!! they were sooo good. My sister and i sort of did the " guessing game" or the " i can name that spice/herb in few minutes" lol!!!

I got challenged that i had to replicate the dish sans the googling of the recipe. Just to see if my sister and i did good while deconstructing the dish. To me it was a simple yet complex dish. Layered with wonderful flavors.

We tasted and smell star anise or Chinese 5 spice of some sort. There was soy sauce for sure, since he's Japanese i assumed he used Japanese soy sauce. I thought there was oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. For me the flavor profile is akin to a Filipino adobo hence my addition of vinegar to the recipe. I believe it's the execution and the process  that made this dish so tender and tasteful. The best pork belly ever. A must try dish at Takashi Restaurant.

Aahhh, pork belly, this will be another blog for sure. Just to "showcase" my "love affair" with pork belly! ha!ha!ha!

Okay enough already. Here's how i did my version of Chef Takashi's Braised Pork Belly w/ Steamed Buns. By the way, because i did this the pre google era way..i will have to do the "handful", "a half palmful of this" way! ;p. No, really, i will have to make this again just so i can come up with the measurements i did.

Anyway..i'm posting Chef's Takashi's recipe here as well! Ofcourse!!!!

Ingredients: (My version)

Y: 2

Pork Belly- a pound, with skin please. Cut into cubes.
water - enough to cover the meat
oyster sauce-  to taste*
hoisin sauce - to taste*
soy sauce - to taste*
sherry wine- to taste*
vinegar - about 1/2 T
star anise - 2 pieces
garlic - 1 clove minced
onions - small piece chopped
brown sugar- 1/2 teaspoon*
whole black peppercorns
bay leaf - 2 pieces

Chinese mustard mixed with sriracha **
mesclun salad
steamed buns - store bought but you can make you're own.


* start with a tablespoon then taste, add if needed.
** Side sauce.

Mix all the ingredients from the pork belly to bay leaves. Bring this to a boil until meat is tender.
Remove pork belly from liquid.
Pass the liquid through a sieve to get rid of the "chunky" stuff.
Simmer liquid until it thickens to a sauce like consistency.
Please taste and adjust the seasoning.
As the liquid is simmering, fry the pork until light brown.
Place the fried pork back into the sauce and cook for few minutes. Just enough for the meat to absorb the sauce and look like it was glazed.

Arrange the  pork belly with steamed buns and the salad.

My version was really good but no way was it the same as Takashi's.  I think i made a different dish;). It's a good one,  now i have to call it Pia's braised pork belly! ha! sure...why not!

HERE IS CHEF TAKASHI'S BRAISED PORK BELLY WITH STEAMED BUNS!!  I SOOOO WANT THIS RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU VISIT TAKASHI RESTAURANT, CHICAGO WHEN YOU'RE IN CHITOWN.

Source:   WGNTV.COM  TAKASHI'S BRAISED PORK BELLY


Serves 4:
Pork Belly
1/2 T vegetable oil
9 oz. pork belly
4 cups cold water
1/2 C sake
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed

Braising Liquid
1 1/2 C cold water
1 C Japanese soy sauce
3/4 cups sugar
1 piece star anise
1/2 t whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed

Garnishes
1/4 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Sauce
2 T hoisin sauce
1 t cold water
1 t cornstarch

Mustard Sauce
2 t mustard powder
2 t water

4 steamed buns ( also called "milk steamed bread" available at Asian and Chinese stores), defrosted and halved.

Directions:


To prepare the pork belly, place an 11-inch sauté pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Using tongs, carefully place the fatty side of the pork belly in the pan and cook until it turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork belly over and repeat on the other sides until nicely browned all over. Decrease the heat if the oil begins to smoke again.

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the seared pork belly, the cold water, sake, and smashed ginger, and place over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then decrease the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

To make the braising liquid, combine all the ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan.

Drain the pork belly and discard the liquid, then add the pork belly to the braising liquid in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Braise for 11⁄2 hours, or until the pork belly is very tender.

Transfer the pork belly and braising liquid to a container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, then cover and chill overnight. The next day, assemble a steamer on the stove top. You can use a perforated pan, steam basket, or bamboo steamer. Fill the bottom with water, cover, and set over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium once the water comes to a boil.

To prepare the garnishes, discard the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce. Place 3 large leaves in a bowl of cold water along with the cucumber slices. Set aside. (I like to soak cut vegetables in cold water for 10 minutes because it helps them retain their freshness and crispness.)

To make the sauce, combine 1⁄2 cup of the chilled braising liquid and the hoisin sauce in a small saucepan and set over high heat. In a bowl, mix the water and cornstarch until smooth. When the sauce just begins to boil, whisk in the cornstarch and cook briefly, just until the sauce begins to thicken. Make sure that it doesn't thicken too much--the sauce should run in a steady stream when poured. Set aside.

To make the mustard sauce, mix the mustard powder and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

Remove the pork belly from the remaining braising liquid and cut into 8 slices, each 1⁄4 inch thick. (You'll have leftover pork belly after you cut these slices. See below for other uses.) Place the slices in a single layer side by side with the halved buns on a plate small enough to fit in the steamer (don't put the buns directly on the steamer because they will stick to it). If you have a large steamer, you can do this in one batch. If your steamer is smaller, just steam the pork belly and buns in several batches. Set the plate in the steamer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft and heated through.

While the pork belly and buns are steaming, finish preparing the garnishes by draining the lettuce and cucumber and patting dry with a towel. Cut the lettuce into pieces the size of the steamed buns and stack in 4 small piles. Top each pile with 2 slices of cucumber.

To serve, assemble a braised pork "sandwich" by placing the lettuce, cucumber, and 2 slices of pork belly on half of a bun. Drizzle the sauce over the meat and top with the other half of the bun. Serve the mustard on the side.

Repeat for the remaining 3 buns.

Ideas for Leftover Pork Belly:

Any leftover pork belly and remaining braising liquid can be frozen for up to 2 months. The braising liquid can be used in the Shoyu Ramen broth and the pork belly can be used as a garnish for various ramens or for fried rice.

Fried Eggs Dec 18, 2007

Fried Eggs Dec 18, 2007, originally uploaded by TaGa_Luto.

LOL! Made this Dec. 18, 2007. Obviously i had no clue on how to take food pics=;). I will have to make this again and update the photo!

POTSTICKERS (GYOZA/CHINESE DUMPLINGS)

Y: 1 pack of wonton wrapper about 50 pcs.

Filling:

4 C Napa cabbage (sliced thin)

1 ½ t salt

1 lb ground pork

1/2 lb fresh shrimps (cleaned and minced)

2 to 3 stalks of green scallions (minced)

2 pieces of wood ears mushrooms /black fungus (optional)

1/4 t white pepper

2 ½ T soy sauce

1 ½ T freshly grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 t sesame oil

Oil and water for cooking

Slurry to seal the edges of the wonton wrappers:

2 T cornstarch

4 T water


Dipping Sauce:

1/2 C soy sauce

2 T rice wine vinegar

Dash of sesame oil

Chili oil to taste

Scallions minced to garnish


Procedure:

For the Dipping Sauce – Combine all ingredients in bowl. Set aside, can also be refrigerated for a week.


For the Slurry – Mix and stir cornstarch and water. Microwave for few seconds until you achieve a paste consistency.

For the Pot stickers:

1. Rehydrate/soak wood ears in luke warm water until tender, then chop.

2. Toss cabbage and salt. Squeeze out the liquid from the cabbage.

3. Combine the cabbage and all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

4. Fry a teaspoon of the filling to check and adjust the seasoning.

5. Refrigerate until cold about 30 minutes. It’s easier to wrap the filling when cold.

6. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Use enough of the mixture to fill out the wrapper completely without overstuffing it. Make sure to keep the edges clean giving you room to enclose the filling w/ the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with slurry.

7. Fold the bottom half of the wrapper to meet the top half that you moistened in the previous step and seal. At this point you will have the option to make a pleated or simple pot stickers.

8. Grease bottom of a nonstick pan with oil. Add the pot stickers by batches to the hot pan, laying them flat and being sure not to crowd. Place pan over medium high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes without moving. You want the sides to become golden brown.

9. Pour about 3 T of water and cover the pan for another 10 minutes. This is to steam the pot stickers.

9. Serve with the Dipping Sauce. These are delicious served hot!

I grind my own meat as much as possible.

Mis en place

A spoonful of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with slurry.

Make the pleats on one side of the wrapper.

It should look like this.

I always make a lot, freeze them for later use. Place the potstickers on a sheet pan and place in the freezer.  Once the potstickers are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. The potstickers can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Cook the potstickers without thawing.



KCC Challenge- Feb=Valentines=Aphrodisiac Filipino Food:Champorado (Chocolate Rice Porridge)

I'm privileged to host this month's KCC challenge. Please click HERE
for further information about Kulinarya Cooking Club. Come and join us and share your Filipino recipes or learn how to make Filipino dishes and learn the Filipino culture as well.

The theme i chose for this month is February=Valentines=Aphrodisiac Filipino Foods. I thought that this would  be an opportunity for us to prepare a scrumptious valentine Filipino dish for our love ones.

I know balut would be the first food that come into ones mind but really there are a lot of Filipino foods that could be considered aphrodisiac foods. Check Aphrodisiac Food List for some idea on what to prepare on Valentines day or any day that you feel romantic. Oysters would be a good one but  a dozen of them wouldn't suffice, they are so expensive here.

So i thought of one of my favorite breakfast dish that calls for the most popular yet affordable aphrodisiac ingredient..CHOCOLATE!!!  My family love, love champorado.  So perfect for valentines day or any day actually. We could eat it for breakfast, mirienda, lunch, mirienda again and dinner, i kid you not. I am happy with a drizzle of condensed milk but with the addition of cheese, oh my goodness, I'm in heaven!!! See, what i mean?!! lol!!

You can be creative with your champorado presentation. You can form a heart as you drizzle your condensed milk, cut your cheese into heart shapes or the rustic way, tear the cheese.

This is a very simple, easy recipe yet so amazingly delicious!

Ingredients: Serves 4
1 C glutinous rice
3 C water
3 disc/tablet of chocolate (Tablea/Tabliya) or 1/2 C of cocoa powder
1/2 C brown sugar
Condensed milk
Slices of cheddar cheese and cheese you like.


Cook rice in a medium-sized pot with 3 C water. Stir constantly. When rice is ready (rice should be transparent and fluffy), add more water if needed. Then add cocoa and sugar. Serve in bowls with drizzle of sweet condensed milk and cheese on top.

TIPS:

*You can use regular rice if you can't find glutinous rice.

*Add more water if you want a thinner porridge consistency.

*I want my champorado on the darker color so i add more cocoa powder if needed.

*You can use white sugar if you don't have the brown sugar. But i prefer the brown sugar because it gives a molasses flavor w/c i like.

* Southern Luzon serves this w/ dried fish too. It's good but since this is a valentines breakfast w/c is meant to be an aphrodisiac, i believe serving it w/ dried fish is just not right=;)

100% Cocoa (Filipino Chocolate disc called Tablea/Tabliya).



The main ingredients: Chocolate disc, Brown Sugar, Glutinous Rice



The Valentine presentation=;)

The rustic presentation

The simple presentation=;). Ha!ha! i poured the condensed milk!



Cold Soba Salad & Tempura-The Daring Cooks February 2011 Challenge

This month's challenge was hosted by Lisa of http://blueberrygirlinoz.blogspot.com/ .  Japanese fare a fave at home especially tempura, sushi and noodles . So, thanks for this great challenge Lisa!

This challenge made me experiment on something i've been planning on trying at home, tempura sushi. Love it! love it! another way to present your sushi. It's like two in one...sushi/tempura.. ha!

I used Nobu's tempura batter and Simple Butter Ponzu Sauce recipes from his book "Nobu Now". The batter was "so, so" i still want my batter w/o eggs. I believe that tempura will stay crispy longer sans the eggs.

The Ponzu Sauce added another layer of flavor to the tempura, Yum!
SIMPLE BUTER PONZU SAUCE:


4 T ponzu****
1 T melted clarified butter

PONZU RECIPE***

4 T soy sauce

8 T rice vinegar

2 T lemon juice

3/4 inch square piece of konbu*(omit if you can't find them)

Mix all the ponzu ingredients (better if you soak this overnight) then add the melted clarified butter.

Butter ponzu sauce needs to be served immediately because the fat will separate when it cools down.

TEMPURA BUTTER:
1 egg yolk
6 3/4 fl oz. iced water
3 1/2  AP flour

1. Make the tempura batter by lightly mixing the ingredients.

2. Blanch the vegetables or  seafood briefly if raw.

3. Heat oil for deep frying to 355 degrees F. Dust the vegetables or seafoods lightly with flour, dip in the batter and fry in the hot oil for about 2 minutes. With the sushi, you can dip them straight into the batter.

4. Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.

Butternut Squash (must blanch them first before frying)

Sweet Potatoes (must blanch first before frying)

Green beans

Shiso leaves

Tempura- Sushi, Sweet Potatoes, Butternutsquash, Green Beans!

COLD SOBA NOODLES, A WONDERFUL "GO TO" LUNCH OR DINNER. HEALTHY AND SO FILLING.

SOBA NOODLES:

Ingredients

2 quarts (2 Liters) water + 1 cup cold water, separate

12 oz (340 g) dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)

Directions:
Cooking the noodles:
1.Heat 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.

2.Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.

Spicy Dipping Sauce:


Ingredients

¾ cup 70gm/2½ oz spring onions/green onions/scallions, finely chopped

3 tablespoons soy sauce- it's a must to use Japanese soy sauce like Kikkoman to achieve the flavor.

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon Asian mustard powder

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon  sesame oil (if you can’t find this just omit from recipe.)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - roughly 1/3 a teaspoon of each

Directions:

1. Shake all the ingredients together in a covered container. Once the salt has dissolved, add and shake in 2 tablespoons of water and season again if needed


TOPPED WITH FRIED TOFU, EGGS, SCALLIONS AND SESAME SEEDS.

Cold Soba Noodles with crispy tofu and eggs. Garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.



KIMCHI DOG

OMG!!!! Thanks to another great cyber friend for this idea. Tasha a.k.a Kalimah=;) posted a picture of a "tantalizing" hotdog sandwich, not an ordinary dog. It was that inviting and tantalizing that i promised myself to make them on my day off.

Well, today is my day off and as promised i made Tasha's Kimchi Dawg! lol!!! it was what i imagined it to be. One of THE best hotdog i've ever had...okay next to the Chicago dog w/c i also love.

If you haven't had kimchi, this probably will be a good way for you try and appreciate it. We love kimchi that i make them all the time. Pls. check for my homemade kimchi  HERE

The combination of the hotdog and the kimchi is just perfect and if you prepare your hotdog w/ panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)..OMG!!! heaven!!!

What you will need:

Kimchi- homemade or store bought (Available at the Asian produce/refrigerated aisle)
Hot dogs - we love the Ball Park Angus Franks
Hot dog buns
mayonnaise
pickle relish - optional
Cilantro - optional
Roma tomatoes - thinly sliced.

Assemble your own hotdog sandwich and enjoy!

Angus Franks is our favorite + Kimchi = Perfection



                                   Panko ( Japanese breadcrumbs) crusted hotdogs. You don't have to coat them w/ the breadcrumbs if you can't buy panko. But it adds texture to the sandwich.

Presenting to you one of THE BEST HOTDOG i've ever had=;)





CHIPOTLE HONEY ROASTED PEANUTS

I have been blessed with wonderful cyber friends who i've known for years, thanks to cyberworld. How close and good friends we've become? If meeting with each other, texting/talking over the phone for hours, sharing our ups and downs, receiving care packages, cards and more from each other will not count, then i don't know how else to describe what a good and wonderful cyber friends i have.

Received a bday package from VERONICA and in the package is this addicting peanuts among other yummy stuff. This is so good that i could finish a pound of these in one seating, i kid you not=;) I know, i know it's not good but hey...

So i have to ask for the recipe, click her name for her version. The only thing i changed was the kind of peanuts. Her reicpe calls for peeled while i used the unpeeled because it was what i had. But really, there's no difference they are both as good.



INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound skinless peanuts (i used with skin)



DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Stir together the sugar, chipotle powder, chili powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl; set aside.

Stir together the butter, honey, and kosher salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted, and the mixture is bubbly. Stir in the peanuts until well coated, then pour out into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until the nuts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Stir the mixture 2 or 3 times to ensure even cooking. Once done, scrape the peanuts into a large metal bowl, and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the peanuts to evenly coat with the spice mixture. Allow the peanuts to cool to room temperature, tossing every few minutes so the nuts do not stick together.

The Daring Cooks January 2011 Challenge:The French Hearty Winter Stew - Cassoulet

Hello! Hello! Remember me? I'm back after a long hiatus! What a wonderful challenge for me to start anew.
Knowing that the posting date is near, I thought i'd be able to join next month since i checked on the challenge two days ago . I guess i got lucky? i have all the ingredients ready for this challenge.

My daughter made 8 pcs. of duck confit a couple of months ago. I have all the proteins needed, pork belly and some Polish and spicy Italian sausages. For my beans, i had cranberry beans and baby lima beans in my pantry which i had to use inorder for me to be able to start right away.

Wow, the recipe was way too much for me and my husband. I have to divide the ingredients and i'm planning on making another batch but this time w/ tomatoes.

The verdict? yum!!! We love it! who wouldn't..Meat Galore!! What a perfect meal for a cold winter night! Thanks Lisa and Jenni!

This months challenge were hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives and the challenge is Cassoulet.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow cooked stew or casserole that originated in the south of France during the 14th century. It traditionally contains pork, sausages, and white beans as well as a duck or goose confit and then topped with fried bread crumbs or cracklings. The dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, which is a deep, round earthenware pot with slanted sides. This is a dish that traditionally takes about three days to prepare, but is oh so worth all the effort!! A confit, in case you don’t know, is one of the oldest ways to preserve food. It is essentially any kind of food that has been immersed in any kind of fat for both flavor and preservation. When stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months! Typically meats (most often waterfowl) are preserved in fats, while fruits are preserved in sugar.



Ingredients for Cassoulet

5 cups/1200 ml/1100 g/39 oz dried Tarbais beans or white beans such as Great Northern or Cannelini (if you use canned beans be aware that you will need double this amount!) (I USED CRANBERRY BEANS AND BABY LIMA BEANS)

2 pounds/900 gm fresh pork belly

1 onion, cut into 4 pieces

1 pound/450 gm pork rind (OMITTED)

1 bouquet garni (tie together two sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme and one bay leaf)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup/60 ml/55 gm duck fat

6 pork sausages (I USED POLISH AND SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGES)

3 onions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

4 confit duck legs (USED ONLY 2)

( THIS RECIPE IS WAY TOO MUCH SO CUT THEM IN HALF)

Day One

1.Place the beans in the large bowl and cover with cold water so that there are at least 2 or 3 inches (50mm or 75mm) of water above the top of the beans. Soak overnight. That was hard, right? (Beans will double in size upon soaking, so use a big bowl!)

Day Two

1. Drain and rinse the beans and place in the large pot.

2. Add the pork belly, the quartered onion, and the bouquet garni.

3. Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue to simmer until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes more.

4. Let cool for 20 minutes, then discard the onion and the bouquet garni.

5. Remove the pork belly, cut it into 2-inch/5-cm squares, and set aside. (If you plan to wait another day before finishing the dish, wait to cut the pork belly until then.)

6. Strain the beans and the rind and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid separately.

7. In the sauté pan, heat all but 1 tablespoon/15 ml/15 gm of the duck fat over medium-high heat until it shimmers and becomes transparent.

8. Carefully add the sausages and brown on all sides

9. Remove sausages and set aside, draining on paper towels.

10. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, brown the sliced onions, the garlic and the reserved squares of pork rind from the beans (not the unused pork rind; you'll need that later).

11. Once browned, remove from the heat and transfer to the blender. Add 1 tablespoon//15 ml/15 gm of the remaining duck fat and purée until smooth. Set aside.

12. Preheat the oven to moderate 350ºF/180ºC/gas mark 4.

13. Arrange all your ingredients in alternating layers, beginning with a layer of beans, then sausages, then more beans, then pork belly, beans, duck confit and finally more beans, adding a dab of the onion and pork rind purée between each layer.

14. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans, reserving 1 cup/240 ml in the refrigerator for later use.


15. Cook the cassoulet in the oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to very slow 250ºF/130ºC/gas mark ½ and cook for another hour.

16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight. (SKIP THIS AND CONTINUE THE 3RD DAY PROCESS.)


Day Three (I DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE 3RD DAY)

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350ºF/180ºC/gas mark 4 again.

2. Cook the cassoulet for an hour.

3. Break the crust (I USED PANKO BREAD CRUMBS) on the top with the spoon and add 1/4 cup/60 ml of the reserved cooking liquid. (Don't get fancy. Just pile, dab, stack and pile. It doesn't have to be pretty.)

4. Reduce the heat to very slow 250ºF/130ºC/gas mark ½ and continue cooking another 15 minutes, or until screamingly hot through and through. Then serve.