In a medium saucepan, heat the beans, adding a little more water if necessary to make a nice soupy consistency. When the beans are very hot, add the salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat and serve in large shallow bowls, drizzling each portion with a little dende oil, a little crema, and scattering some cilantro around the edges of the plate.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Note: Dende oil is Brazilian palm oil, available in Latin American markets. Be sure to get the Brazilian rather than the West African product, which is much heavier. Or use half the amount of the West African palm oil and substitute vegetable oil for the other half.

CREMA

Whisk the cream and the buttermilk together in a bowl. Cover and set in a warm place (a gas oven with just the heat from the pilot light is fine) for 8 hours. Crema may be kept in the refrigerator for as long as a week.
Yield: 2 cups