Coconut cream with pimientos del piquillo is a Spanish-inspired dish made by one of France’s most distinguished chef, Helene Darroze, who also recently earned her second Michelin star. This is a unique and refreshing appetizer recipes that can also take the place of a salad and can be paired with either a white wine such as Graves Blanc or a red wine such as Côte du Rhône rouge. The white wine will excellently complement the starchy white beans and creamy coconut sauce while the red wine will heighten the sweet flavors of the Spanish red peppers.
Pimientos del piqillo come from a unique variety of flavorful red peppers grown in Navarra or Lodosa, Spain. These triangular red pimientos with slightly curved points are char-grilled, peeled, and packaged in jars filled with salted water. The Denominación de Origen or “denomination of origin” indicated in the label guarantees the authenticity of the product. These delicious peppers are ready to eat and have a wonderful aroma like the smell of wood-burning ovens. They can also be stuffed with cheeses and herbs and baked or added to pasta sauces, risottos, or pizzas. In healthy recipes, the pimientos del piquillo are sliced into julienne strips and later added to the cooked white beans, keeping their flavor and texture intact.
Ingredients: 4 ½ lbs. cool DARLINGS, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, 2 carrots, 1 5/8 lbs. small lardoons, 1 tomato, bouquet garni, duck grease, salt, pepper, Sherry vinegar, 1 cup cream, olive oil, 1 or 2 pimientos del piquillo, parsley, 1 pt. POULTRY BOTTOM
Preparation Instructions: 
Clean and/or peel everything. Shred the Pimientos. Chop the lardoons. Then mince the onions, carrots, and garlic. Heat a large pan. Pour the duck grease then the lardoons. Add the carrots, onions, and garlic then the white beans. Pour some chicken or duck broth. Add some tomatoes. Season with salt then remove from heat. Transfer most of the contents into another container. Drain the sauce from the rest. Take the greater portion of contents then blend while adding the coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper. Add some wine. And then transfer into a milk bottle or some other container. Take the smaller portion and mash them a little. Add into it the Pimientos. Add the parsley and sherry vinegar. Finally, place on a serving dish. Serve them together; enjoy!
For this recipe, the white beans need to be soaked and cooked for a few hours to soften them before they are sautéed in duck grease together with the lardoons. You can prepare the white beans before making this recipe to save time. You can also buy precooked beans packed in bottles or cans. Serve the beans and pimientos salad on a clean plate and the coconut cream sauce in a pretty milk bottle so that guests can have the pleasure of pouring the sauce themselves.
Source: www.gourmandia.com
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