Frisée Salad with Beans and Warm Bacon Dressing

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 2 cups peasant bread cubed crustless
• 0.5 pound frisée 
• 2  garlic cloves crushed
• 0.3 pound mild goat cheese crumbled
• 1 cup navy beans--picked over dried cold rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin
• 4 servings pepper freshly ground
• 4 servings salt 
• 3 large shallots thinly sliced
• 0.3 pound thick- bacon 
• 3 tablespoons citrus champagne vinegar 
• 0.5 cup cherry tomatoes yellow halved

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• oven
• baking pan

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the beans. In a medium saucepan, combine the beans with the bay leaf, garlic and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover partially and simmer the beans until tender but not mushy, about 1 hour; add 1/2 teaspoon salt 10 minutes before they are done.
2. Drain the beans and let cool to room temperature. Discard the bay leaf and garlic.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 35
4. Toss the bread cubes with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.
5. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden but not dry.
6. In a nonreactive medium skillet, fry the bacon over moderately high heat until crisp.
7. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
8. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the fat in the skillet.
9. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
10. In a large bowl, toss the frise with the beans, bacon, toasted croutons and tomatoes.
11. Add the dressing and toss.
12. Add the goat cheese and toss gently but thoroughly.
13. Serve immediately.
14. Wine Recommendation: The garlicky, smoky flavors suggest a dry white, and the goat cheese narrows the choice to a tart, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Look for the 1994 Flora Springs Soliloquy or the 1993 Grgich Hills Fum Blanc, both from California.