Dunn Anna - Dinner at the Long Table

MANY THANKS TO

KATE HULING for love

CAROLINE FIDANZA for always knowing what to do

MARK FIRTH for making it fun

SEAN REMBOLD for making it the funniest

DAVE GOULD for being a classic

KEN WISS for all the cool

JASON SCHWARTZ for riding bikes

TOM BUDNY for making it elegant

JOHN CONNOLLY for making it happen

MARISA MARTHALLER for style and grace

RUSTUN & MICHELLE NICHOLS for leaving a lasting impression

AUSTIN HALL for waking up so early

SCARLETT LINDEMAN for knowing about everything

LEAH CAMPBELL for taking care of every single thing

JULIA GILLARD for the point of view

BECKY JOHNSON for your touch

LARS KARLSSON for all the solutions

NEALE HOLADAY for being sweet and savory

GUY GREENBERG for taking names

LEE CAMPBELL for her good taste

LEE DESROSIERS for always showing up

DEANNA BENOR for running numbers

MIKE FADEM for shepherding

SUSAN THOMPSON for heavy lifting

LISA KIM for friendship

JAMES OBOYLE for taking care of business

MARIE TRIBOUILLOY for talking cocktails

JOSH WILES for the music and the spirits in the night

RYAN SEATON for the daily

SHANE FEIRSTEIN for the head start

JIM MCHUGH & KATIE EASTBURN for changing the game

ANGELA SHERRY for pancakes

ALEKSEY & JULIET KRAVCHUK for the light

PETER LAWRENCE & JED WALENTAS for being my partners

MILLICENT SOURIS for telling all

SVEN DELVECCHIO for telling everyone

EVAN DUNN for doing what his sister tells him

PETER MILNE GREINER for always writing

EMMA MANNHEIMMER for helping in every way

ALEJANDRO CHAMPION for the mezcal

KATY PORTE for being built like light

ELIJAH for the magic, Ba for the social grace, Roman for positivity,

PALOMA for sheer will

Thank you to our Mothers and Fathers and Stepparents, Sisters and Brothers, In-laws and Outlaws

KATHERINE COWLES for the prompt

NIKOLE HERRIOTT for the comma

MICHAEL GRAYDON for the cinema

JENNY WAPNER & TEN SPEED PRESS for the freedom and the structure

AMY WILSON for making it look good

NINA LALLI for picking up all of the pieces we almost dropped

ANDREW KATZOWITZ for holding the light

CERISE MAYO for problem solving

EVERYONE at LDM

PATTY GENTRY for the love of vegetables

ISABELLA ROSSELLINI for the set

GUY JONES for wisdom and the Molson

HENRY & CASEY and the whole Amish crew for farming with mules

LEE & GEORGIA and the whole Kinderhook crew for growing the grass

RICHARD for being the lucky dog of the bunch

ALSO:

TJ BURNHAM

KEN AND JASMINE REYNOLDS

YESSENIA SANTIBANEZ

SERGIO GARCIA

SARAH GASKINS

TOM MYLAN & ANNALIESE GRIFFIN

BRENT YOUNG

MICHAEL MANGIERE

FRANK REED

ROSS GARCIA

BEN JACKSON

JUAN RODRIGUEZ

POLIN BAEZ

MICHAEL KALE

STEPHANIE REAGOR

ELIZABETH SCHULA

REBECCA COLLERTON

DERICK HOLT

KIRSTEN FAZZARI

JOHN HALE

AARON CROWDER

ERIN KANAGY-LOUX

CHRISTINA BARONE

SHANNON PRITCHETT

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

HERMS

Thank you BIRD

Thank you ANNA for the poetry

Thank you ANDREW for the magic

Thank you all the servers, all the bartenders, all the cooks, all the porters,

all the managers, all the guests, all the animals, all the vegetables, all the minerals, all the farmers, all the winemakers, all the writers, and all the artists. Thank you all the makers and doers. We could go on and on but we cant go on without you.

Thank you all.

COLD NIGHT CASSOULET

Dinner for 8 to 10

Cassoulet is named for its vessel, a large, pot with slanting sides made of earthenware or clay. Any oven-safe, heavy-bottomed ceramic or cast-iron pot that is at least 12 inches in diameter will stand in nicely. Ive never asked Caroline why she chose to make cassoulet for Diners opening night, but I cant imagine it any other way. Caroline and I were still practically strangers then, and as we walked the cassoulet up the hill in the snow, she told me where each ingredient came from. The duck legs for the confit were from Chinatown, and the bacon and sausage were from a butcher in Little Italy. The Tarbais beans were from Phipps Farm in Pescadero, California, a place Caroline liked to visit. This would be the first of countless conversations like it.

Duck Leg Confit

DUCK LEG CONFIT

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Confit duck legs can be drawn from the snowcap of fat to use in cassoulets, stews, and salads and can be stored for several months in the refrigerator. Duck or goose fat will be readily available at your butcher shop.

6 duck legs

cup kosher salt

Several sprigs thyme

Several sprigs rosemary

1 handful cracked peppercorns

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

4 cups duck fat

Season the duck legs with the salt, sprigs of thyme, peppercorns, and garlic. Place in a shallow container and let cure covered overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, preheat the oven to 225F. In a saucepan, slowly warm the duck fat until it is liquid. Brush the cure off of the duck legs and place them in a pan thats small enough that the duck legs can fit snugly and will be completely submerged in the melted fat. Pour the fat over the duck legs and slide the pan into the oven. Bake until the duck legs are tender and the meat can easily be pulled from the bone, about 3 to 6 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and let the duck legs cool completely. Store covered in the refrigerator. The duck will be ready to use once the legs are completely chilled. Consider the duck preserved for days, weeks, months, or for the brave, perhaps a year.

Cassoulet

CASSOULET

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Like many of the dinners in these pages, cassoulet should be started a few days before you plan to share it with your friends. Finding enough time to prepare it will always be your biggest challenge. Keep in mind that cassoulet is a very rich dish, so smaller portions per person will do.

1 pounds boneless pork shoulder

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pounds dried Tarbais beans or cannellini beans

1 bunch sage

1 head garlic, halved lengthwise, unpeeled, plus 4 peeled cloves

cup duck fat

1 pound thick-cut bacon

1 (1-pound) ham hock

2 medium onions, chopped

3 small carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 quarts unsalted chicken stock

2 sprigs parsley

1 small bunch thyme

2 bay leaves

1 (6-inch) square uncured pork skin

1 stale baguette

Olive oil

1 small bunch parsley, leaves chopped