I am a good home cook. But my mother is a genius chef with her very own restaurant, Scrimshaw, and when she calls I don my sous chef's hat and get on the Jitney to Greenport, NY. I am lucky to be able to work in her professional kitchen sometimes. (All the time would kill me.) I firmly believe that home cooking is for home and restaurant food belongs in a restaurant. But I always bring so much back from Scrimshaw that I can translate to my own kitchen, my kitchen with a staff of one and only four burners. This week we served a lot of cassoulet at the restaurant. The beans in a cassoulet owe a huge debt to their oven romance with confit, duck fat and sausage. But they can be delicious when prepared on their own with some of the other components of a cassoulet. Their savory richness is so good with lamb chops or roast chicken or a duck breast.

Shoulder Lamb Chops

Seared and finished in the Oven, or grilled.

Sublime White Beans

If you have duck or goose fat lying around (David, I'm thinking of you) this would be a good time to use it, but olive oil is great too. Saute a lot of garlic in a lot of olive oil or other fat then add a couple of cans of white beans, sprigs of rosemary, tomato paste and water or stock. Oh, and a little white wine. Simmer briefly, maybe 15 mins, and serve. Any pan juices from the chops should be added at the end too.

A nice green veg like steamed green beans would be nice.