White Bean Gratin with Garlic

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic
• 1 1/2 cups dried white beans such as Great Northern or navy
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions

Separate garlic heads into cloves (do not peel). Pick over beans and in a 4-quart kettle combine with garlic and enough cold water to cover beans by 2 inches. Gently simmer bean mixture, adding more water as necessary to keep beans covered, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain bean mixture in a colander. Remove garlic and peel. In a small bowl mash garlic with a fork and gently stir into beans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 2-quart nonreactive baking dish gently stir together bean mixture, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl with your fingertips blend together bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over bean mixture and bake in middle of oven until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes