Cooking & Baking Challenge - Session 5 : Isabel

It's from http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/11/green-bean-casserole-with-crispy-onions/ 
It's called Green Bean Casserole.

Ingredients:

- 1 kg. green beans. I used string.

- 4 slices of bacon, cut into 1 cm. pieces (for these cases, I use bacon chunks, too).

- 1/2 large onion, chopped.

- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.

- 1 red bell pepper (1/2 if it's too big).

- 4 Tbsp butter.

- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour.

- 2 1/2 cups whole milk.

- 1/2 cup half-and-half.

- Salt.

- Pepper.

- Cayenne pepper.

- 1 cup grated cheese (I used white Cheddar).

- Breadcrumbs.

- Grated Parmesan cheese.

Instructions:

1. Blanch the green beans: Drop them into slightly salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, then rapidly remove from water and plunge into an ice-cold water bowl. Thus they keep a beautiful green color and are crisp. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon on medium heat for about two minutes. Then add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook 3-5 minutes or until bacon is done and onions are translucent (variant: you may cook the bacon, set aside, and then use the grease for the onion, so that it gets the flavor and has more time to brown and caramelize, then add the rest). Remove everything and set aside.

3. In a saucepan, make a light (at least a not-so-thick) white sauce: Melt the butter, add the flour and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, and then add the milk and the half-and-half, whisking until everything thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and ground cayenne. Add the cheese and stir until it melts.

4. Add to the onion-garlic-bacon-bell pepper mix, stirring to combine, and then incorporate the green beans.

5. Place on a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs (I usually put a bit of Parmesan, too).

6. Bake on a preheated oven (180ºC/350ºF) for about 30 minutes or until golden-brown.