Okay, well, yeah.

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It sure is a lot more work than it seemed.  And it seemed like a lot of work to start.  Which... is why you don't even make a meal like this weekly, even monthly.  Not even chefs do this, if you truly understand things.  They make things ahead, in bulk, freeze if possible or refrigerate, then what has to be fresh, heating, and assembly is what is left.  No, not a small task.  Less so given that few if any restaurants have only one or even several courses available.  As well, a chef has many employees quite often, plus wait staff and others who, if the show really must go on and they are short, can be put to work.

Amazing though.  Everything that needs to be fried or sauteed or... else... has been done.  At this point, the beans, bacon, some of the juices, bones, and the a cup or two of stock plus other water is coming to a boil.  Nibbles?  Well, NO!  I have had to taste things, to make sure... several times... to be extra sure.  Professional duty.  Though, now, I am hungry.  I should have something...  Hmm?  I have more sausage than I will need.  And I cook sausage done done, regardless of what else I may do with it.  Pork to and Iowan must be done, done, through, and over.  Hmm... yeah... one of those would be good.  Two would be better.  Too rich to have more.  Mustard?  Yep.  The benefits of being a chef... or cook.  We'll see.

I know, when in France, I ate this or something like it.  Not just once.  My memory seems to shift, but I am certain I had this there, probably several times.  I have dreamed of this.  I may even, when in Germany, have tried this there.  When you taste something that absolutely blows your mind, you begin wanting to try it in other ways and places.  Or... I do, did, still do.  I don't have wine, this time.  But if it doesn't quite work, I may search for a wine that is common to use in this dish, try it first as a drink... to know it's flavor, profile, what it might add, and then do that.  I won't be looking for a drinking wine, just a cooking wine, probably just for this dish.  Store a case of it for possibly yearly revisits for the next several years... if this doesn't work.

Ah, the nice thing is, I will be putting everything back right into the pan in which I cooked everything but the beans.  Oh, yeah, I think that will be quite good.  While I did set the pan aside, I will be putting it back to heat before too long, in order to deglaze with white wine vinegar.  Yeah.  It isn't this, or that, or the other thing, that makes some foods good.  It is the layers upon layers of flavor additives and flavor boosting techniques.  Could skip one, sometimes will, simply by accident or incident.  But not this one, not this time.

Yes, yes, the stones are soaking, should be ready when the beans hit a boil.  I have three knives out, and the bucket of stones and towels set.  A workstation.  Three different sized knives, two with a Japanese angle, one a European style blade.  Yes, yes, I know the angle difference.  If hitting that angle is a bit or a trick.  We'll see.  Be back when... probably when it is completed and I can give a report.  Perhaps.  Later.