Dungeness Crab and Heirloom Bean Brandade

Ingredients

• 1 slices crusty baguette toasted
• 2 tablespoons butter ()
• 1  carrots peeled
• 0.3 teaspoon ground pepper 
• 1  celery stalks finely chopped cut in half crosswise, plus 1/4 cup celery
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 8 ounces crab meat picked over
• 0.5 cup cream cheese 
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 
• 3  garlic clove minced
• 1 cup great northern beans dried white (such as marrow beans)
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon fresh
• 0.3 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 small onion halved
• 4 tablespoons parsley fresh italian divided chopped
• 0.5 cup shallots finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• baking pan

Directions

1. Rinse beans with cold water; place in largesaucepan.
2. Add enough cold water to coverbeans by 2 inches; let soak overnight.
3. Drain.Return beans to same pan.
4. Add enoughcold water to cover beans by 3 to 4 inches.
5. Add celery stalk, carrot, and onion. Bring toboil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered untilbeans are tender, about 1 hour.
6. Remove fromheat.
7. Add 1 teaspoon coarse salt; let beanscool in cooking liquid. DO AHEAD: Canbe made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill incooking liquid. Before using, drain beans,reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
8. Lightly butter 1-quart baking dish.
9. Combine crab, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise,mustard, lemon juice, and Worcestershiresauce in medium bowl; chill.
10. Melt butter in large saucepan overmedium heat.
11. Add shallots; sauté untilsoft, about 3 minutes.
12. Add chopped celery,garlic, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes.
13. Addbeans and 1/4 cup cooking liquid; cook untilheated through, mashing beans coarsely,about 2 minutes.
14. Add Crescenza cheese;stir until melted. Fold in crab mixture and2 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt andpepper.
15. Transfer to prepared baking dish.DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead.Chill crab brandade uncovered until cold,then cover and keep chilled.
16. Preheat oven to 400°F.
17. Bake brandadeuncovered until heated through and mixturebegins to bubble at edges, about 30 minutes.
18. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.
19. Servewarm with toasted baguette slices.
20. Crescenza cheeseis a soft-ripened cow’s-milk cheese traditionally made in Italy. Look for it at yourlocal cheese store, or order it online frombellwethercheese.com or mozzco.com.
21. Try a crisp California
22. Chardonnay with the appetizers. We likethe Cakebread Cellars 2007 Napa Valley
23. Chardonnay ($39). It’s bright and fruity,with notes of lemon zest and pear. TheNapa Valley winery, which was founded in1973, is currently run by four members ofthe Cakebread family.