White Bean Puree With White Truffles Food

WHITE BEAN PURéE WITH GARLIC VINAIGRETTE AND CROUTES

Steps:

• Blanch garlic in a small saucepan of boiling water 3 minutes, then drain and finely chop. Transfer garlic to a bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Soak beans in water to cover by 2 inches in a large bowl at least 8 hours, then drain. Simmer beans with thyme in fresh water to cover by 2 inches in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, partially covered, until very tender, about 1 1/4 hours (some beans will fall apart). Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and drain beans, discarding thyme.
• Crumble bread into a large bowl and stir in cream. Force beans through food mill into moistened bread, then stir in oil. Add reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time for a spreadable consistency. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm with vinaigrette spooned over purée.

HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the breadcrumbs, herbs, zest and Parmesan into a food processor with 1 tbsp of the oil and some seasoning. Blitz until everything is finely chopped.
• Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the lamb, then brown it well on all sides and turn off the heat. Turn the racks so that they are fat-side up, and brush liberally with the mustard (Step 1, above). Pack over the herb crust (Step 2), drizzle with a bit more oil, and roast for 25 mins until the crust is golden and the lamb is cooked - this will produce lamb that is pink in the middle but cooked all the way through. If you like your lamb rarer, roast for only 20 mins; if you like it more done, give it 5 mins more. Put the lamb on a board to rest.
• While the lamb is cooking, blitz the beans with the garlic, anchovies, rosemary, lemon juice, some seasoning and 7 tbsp olive oil (or enough to make it a smooth purée. Tip into a saucepan to gently heat.
• Wilt the spinach in the remaining olive oil in another frying pan. Once the lamb has rested, carefully carve it into chops (Step 3), trying to keep the crust intact. Divide the warm bean purée between 4 plates, add a small mound of spinach, then arrange 3 lamb chops on top of each portion. Sprinkle with stray crumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil.

WHITE-BEAN PUREE WITH WHITE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Cover the beans with water, and soak overnight. Or use the quick- soaking method: Cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, and boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside for 1 hour.
• Drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Place the beans, onion, sage, garlic and oil in soup kettle. Add fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook, covered, at a bare simmer until the beans are very soft, 40 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age of the beans. Keep a teakettle of water simmering, and as the beans absorb the liquid, add more water, little by little. The beans should always be covered by liquid but never swimming in it.
• If fresh sage is used, remove the sprigs and discard. Place the beans and liquid in a food processor, and process until very smooth. If using fresh white truffle, scrape half into the puree, and continue processing until well blended. Serve the puree immediately, with the remaining truffle shaved over the surface. If using truffle paste, puree the entire amount with the beans just before serving.

TRUFFLED WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Note: if you're buying metric, you want the 540 mL can of beans; you're aiming for about 2 cups of beans.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook diced bacon until crisp (it will take about 10 minutes or so).
• With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to drain on paper towels, but leave bacon fat in pan; raise heat to medium high.
• Add shallots and saute for one minute.
• Now add beans, thyme and lemon juice; stir.
• Cook until beans are warmed through, anywhere from two to four minutes.
• Return bacon to pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in olive oil and truffle oil and remove from heat.
• Arrange spinach evenly over four plates and spoon warm bean mixture on top.

CRUSHED WHITE BEAN BRUSCHETTA WITH WHITE TRUFFLE OIL

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the broth, beans, garlic, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Season the beans, to taste, with salt and pepper. Cool in the liquid. Drain the beans, reserving the garlic cloves.
• Place the beans in a bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Add 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and continue mashing. Mash in the olive oil, but keep the mixture fairly coarse. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the scallions and parsley. Spoon into a serving bowl and drizzle with white truffle oil. Serve with a basket of crisp toasts and the bottle of truffle oil, for more drizzling.

MASHED WHITE BEANS WITH TRUFFLE OIL

Steps:

• Sort the beans to make sure they are free of stones or other debris. Rinse, then cover with cold water, refrigerate, and soak overnight.
• The next day, drain the beans, place them in large pot, and cover with the stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the beans for 2 hours, or until they are soft, tender and yield to pressure when squeezed between your finger tips.
• Add the salt only in the final 15 minutes of cooking since the addition of salt earlier in the cooking process will result in tough beans.
• Pour the beans in to the bowl of a food processor. Begin to pulse the beans along with any of the stock that may have remained from cooking. Add all the remaining ingredients except the truffle oil and pulse together with the warm bean puree. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and add freshly ground pepper if needed. Return the bean puree to a pot set over low heat or a double boiler to keep warm. Serve each portion of puree with a drizzle of truffle oil.

ROASTED COD WITH WHITE BEANS, TOMATO COMPOTE, AND TRUFFLE OIL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the shallots and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat to medium low and cook the tomatoes until all the liquid has evaporated, but the tomatoes are still slightly chunky.
• While the tomatoes are cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season both sides of the cod with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sear each side for about 2 minutes, or until nicely browned. When the fillets are seared, place them on a baking sheet. Put cod in the oven to finish cooking. (According to Chef Ripert, an easy test for doneness is to insert a metal skewer into the center of a fillet for 5 seconds. The fish is done when the skewer goes in easily and, when removed, feels slightly warm to your lip.).
• Place 1/2 cup of the beans in a food processor with the reserved bean-cooking liquid and purée until smooth to make the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon tomato compote in the center of each plate and place a cod fillet on top. Spoon bean sauce outside the compote, and sprinkle reserved whole cooked beans around the fish and over the two sauces. Drizzle with tiny drops of truffle oil.

WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add carrot, onion and rosemary; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add cannellini and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Puree mixture in processor. Return to saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.