CASSOULET : Chefs, looking for new ways to prepare old classics, have expanded the role of the cassoulet. : Above is a south-of the border translation using black beans, chiles, cilantro, bread crumbs, cream.

When you say “cassoulet,” beans immediately come to mind. And, of course, they should, because the classical cassoulet, a French stew cooked in a casserole, is made with shelled haricot beans as well a meat.

Well, cassoulets are not only confined to beans.

We discovered, for instance, at La Palm D’ore at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes this summer, a lovely lobster cassoulet with tiny melon balls, prepared in the manner of the cassoulet.

Cassoulets of vegetables abound and can be found in both the classical and nouvelle cuisines. And, risking the ire of cassoulet purists, there are even desserts that go under the name of cassoulet, because of the manner in which they are cooked.

“Chefs are always looking for new ways to prepare old classics. In today’s terms, cassoulet refers only the manner of cooking, not just to the classical dish,” said Tim Keating, chef at the Meridien Hotel in Newport Beach.

So among the recipes given here you will find a number of the loose translations of savory cassoulets, including a cassoulet made with black beans and chiles, as well as (die-hards please close ears and eyes) a dessert prepared in the manner of the cassoulet, inspired by a fruit dessert enjoyed at the Chantecler restaurant at the Hotel Negresco in Nice last summer.

But to fill you in on the classical dish, the basic formula calls for beans cooked separately from meats and vegetables, then layered in a casserole to finish baking all together. The ingredients used and subtleties of cooking methods vary with the cook and the region. According to “Larousse Gastronomique: Encyclopedia of Food, Wine and Cookery” (Crown Books), the cassoulet made in Languedoc, where cassoulet originates, is considered the most praiseworthy. In the Languedoc version, cassoulet is prepared with pork and mutton, goose or duck and sausages in an earthenware dish known as cassolle d’Issel, from which the name cassoulet derives. Issel refers to the clay with which the earthenware terrine is formed. Some cooks prepare the beans and meats together, but finish the cooking in a baker’s oven, which, in old times, according to Larousse, was heated with brushwood of mountain furze (prickly evergreen shrub).

It is this version, which, more often than not, one finds served in restaurants both in France and in cities here, with minor variations.

Taking liberties with the same idea, we gave French cassoulet a south-of-the-border touch by substituting black beans for haricot beans and used chiles to season the dish. And instead of the usual array of meats, we used pork.

In another recipe for a vegetable cassoulet, mushrooms cooked with herbs are transferred to individual casseroles to finish cooking with a sprinkling of herbed bread crumbs for a first course.

We also give a recipe for turkey cassoulet based on the original, which shows there is more than one way to go.

The lobster with melon will make a elegant light supper or fanciful first course. Melons, though less expensive in season, are available the year-round these days. You might consider the fruit cassoulet recipe given here as the dessert accompaniment to the lobster meal for an elegant finale.

And, finally, a squash and tomato cassoulet can be a wonderful accompaniment to a party roast, which needs only a wonderful bread and some good red or white wine.

LOBSTER CASSOULET WITH MELON BALLS

2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds lobster tails

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Dash chopped fresh or dried tarragon

Dash chopped fresh or dried thyme

Salt, pepper

1/2 melon, cut into tiny balls

1 tablespoon melon liqueur

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons water

Melt butter in saucepan large enough to hold lobster tails. Add lobster tails and saute until tails turn red. Remove and set aside to cool.

Add white wine, parsley, tarragon, thyme and salt and pepper to taste to saucepan. Bring to boil. Boil 5 minutes or until reduced.

Remove lobster flesh and cube. Add to saucepan with melon balls and liqueur. Dissolve cornstarch with water. Stir into sauce. Bring to boil. Cook and stir until thickened and clear. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes or until heated through. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

CASSOULET OF BLACK BEANS AND CHILES

1 pound black beans

10 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/4 pound salt pork

2 to 4 whole cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 hot chiles, diced, seeds removed

1 pound lean pork, diced, or 3 sausages

1 to 2 1/2 teaspoons thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon rosemary leaves

Salt, pepper

1 cup dry or fine fresh bread crumbs

Cilantro sprigs

Mexican crema, sour cream or creme fraiche

Combine beans, broth, salt pork, garlic, carrot and onion in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour to soften.

To finish cooking, bring again to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove salt pork and beans. Strain bean liquid and stir in flour and tomato puree.

Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add chiles and saute until tender. Remove and set aside. Add pork or sausages and cook until browned on all sides. Remove and slice sausages, if using. Return meat to saucepan. Add reserved liquid mixture, chiles, thyme, bay leaf and rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Slice reserved salt pork and line casserole. Cover with half of beans. Add pork mixture to beans, then cover with remaining beans and liquid. Mix bread crumbs with cilantro(HOW MUCH?) and sprinkle over casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour. Remove cover, sprinkle with remaining crumbs and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve with Mexican crema and cilantro sprigs. Makes 6 servings.

LANGUEDOC CASSOULET

1 1/2 to 2 pounds dried small white beans

1 sprig thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2 stalks celery

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound mutton or lamb shoulder, cubed

1 pound pork shoulder, cubed

1 (4- to 5-pound) duck, cut into serving pieces

1 pound pork sausage

2 tomatoes, cubed

1 onion, quartered

1 tablespoon goose fat or chicken fat, melted

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Soak beans in water to cover overnight. Drain, then cover with fresh water. Add bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaves, garlic and celery, tied with string. Add salt and pepper and cook beans 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Drain beans and reserve liquid.

In large, shallow earthenware casserole, combine mutton, pork, duck, sausage, tomatoes and onion. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until meats are lightly browned. Remove from casserole.

Layer beans with mutton, pork and duck, pouring some meat cooking juices over meat and beans. Place sausages on top. Pour some of bean liquid over meat and beans to come halfway up casserole.

Bake, covered at 300 degrees 3 1/2 hours. Stir beans occasionally with wooden spoon, being careful not to break beans. Add more bean liquid as needed to keep casserole bottom from scorching.

Mix goose fat with bread crumbs and parsley and spread over top of cassoulet. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees 30 minutes longer or until crumbs are browned. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

MUSHROOM CASSOULETS

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig basil

1 sprig oregano

1 branch celery leaves

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Combine mushrooms, onion and chicken broth in saucepan. Tie together thyme, basil, oregano and celery and drop into pan with mushrooms.

Add half of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil. Boil until liquid is reduced, about 10 minutes. Turn mushroom mixture into individual casseroles or ramekins. Mix bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle over casseroles. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

CASSOULET WITH FRUIT AND MERINGUE

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

4 cups apple juice or water

2 pears, peeled, cored and cubed

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections

1 tablespoon pear brandy

3 egg whites

Dash salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine sugar, vanilla bean and apple juice in 3-quart oven-proof saucepan. Bring to boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Reduce heat and add pears. Return to boil. Cook 4 minutes or until pears are barely tender and syrup is formed. Do not overcook.

Remove vanilla bean and pears. Add mandarin oranges and puree until smooth. Add fresh oranges, pears and pear brandy. Pour contents into casserole.

Beat egg whites with salt and powdered sugar. Top casserole with beaten egg white mixture, forming into peak or piping through pastry bag, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees 3 to 5 minutes or until tips of meringue are browned. Serve warm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

TURKEY CASSOULET

1 pound dried white beans

1 turkey drumstick, smoked or fresh

2 onions, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic, mashed

6 tablespoons chopped parsley

5 or 6 fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

3 or 4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt, pepper

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

5 tablespoons bread crumbs

Place beans in 6-cup saucepan. Cover with cold water and let stand overnight in refrigerator.

Rinse beans in cold water and discard blemished beans. Combine beans with turkey drumstick, onions, garlic, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, basil, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup water. Cover and bake at 350 degrees 1 to 2 hours or until drumstick is tender.

Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove and reserve turkey meat, discarding skin and bones. Stir meat into beans with tomato juice. Combine bread crumbs with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees 30 minutes or until top is browned and crusty. Makes 8 servings.

SQUASH-TOMATO CASSOULET

6 small yellow or zucchini squash, sliced

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons olive oil

Chopped parsley

Salt, pepper

2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup half and half or cream

Saute squash, onion and garlic in butter mixed with olive oil until onion is tender. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste and toss lightly.

Layer squash with sliced tomatoes in casserole. Beat eggs with half and half and pour over vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until custard is set. Makes 4 to 6 servings.