Baked Bean and Duck Casserole

1. How to cook dried beans
2. Tricks for flavoring and fresh beans
3. Serve shellfish with beans

I’ll never forget the first cassoulet I tasted in France. I had driven from Paris to the champagne region to have lunch with a friend’s family. It was a crisp autumn day and my stomach was growling, anticipating great regional specialties and glass after glass of champagne. When I arrived, we sat in my friend’s family living room sipping an aperitif as I admired the elegantly set table in the dining room. When my friend’s mother announced that we were having cassoulet, I thought it was a little peculiar because cassoulet comes from the Languedoc, almost at the opposite end of France. But I had no trouble envisioning the thick sausages, chunks of duck confit, and crusty beans. Finally, it arrived. I almost gasped—it was nothing more than a pot of canned beans spread out on a sheet pan with chunks of hot dogs strewn on top.