Beans, Biscuits and Bread Part Three - My Favorite Maple Baked Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A too short, but lovely, visit with our youngest daughter - code name "Butterfly" - combined with the distractions of the Prefontaine Classic have thrown me dreadfully off schedule. Hopefully, I'll soon be back on track - no pun intended - and my posts will again appear as intended. In the meantime, I still have several recipes from my Beans, Biscuits and Bread series sitting in the catch-up queue. The bean recipe I'm featuring today is my personal favorite. It is an Ina Garten recipe and it's appeared in her cookbook The Barefoot Contessa at Home as well as The Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook. These beans are hot and sweet, and while they may not appeal to all tastes, they are delicious. I found the first pot I made to be too sweet, so second time around, I cut the quantities of sugar and syrup in half and found them to be delightful. I replaced the specified kidney beans with small red beans because I prefer the appearance of the smaller bean. The large beans look suspiciously like chili and that was not the look I was going for. I think you'll find these beans to have more liquid than other versions you've made in the past. If that bothers you, simply uncover the beans for the last hour of cooking so the sauce can thicken. Do make sure the beans are tender before you put them in the oven to bake. They won't soften much when they cook at the low temperature this recipe advises. I really like the play of flavors in these beans and I highly recommend them to you. I know you'll enjoy them. Here is how they are made.

Beans, Biscuits and Bread Part 1 - Cowboy Baked Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found three contenders for the beans I was asked to prepare for the barbecue today. When I learned that burgers and bratwurst were to be the main feature of  the "cue", any plans for an upscale dish were discarded and, despite the Silver Fox's  insistence that cassoulet would be perfect, I exercised my veto power and narrowed my search to what I hoped would be American barbecue favorites. Trouble is, I don't have a lot of recipes for beans and I don't make them often. Tea may work for two, but beans, when there are just two diners at the table, requires a commitment I'm not willing to make on a regular basis. So, of course, luck of the draw being what it is, I was the person asked to bring beans to barbecue where we will be meeting our new neighbors. I wanted them to be especially good because these folks don't know that I can cook, and I wanted their first impression of my abilities to be positive. While this will come as no surprise to those who know me, I ended up making a big deal about something that should have been really simple. I found and tested three recipes for good old American beans and, as it turned out, all three were exceptional. I decided my first feature would be the Cowboy Beans because they will go so well with a simple barbecue menu. These beans are sweet and have some heat, and I think they will appeal to anyone who likes beans with their burgers and brats. The recipe, which comes from America's Test Kitchen is clear and simple to follow, so you'll have no trouble duplicating their results, but do be sure to use a strong cup of coffee and a barbecue sauce that you are familiar with. The trick with these simple recipes is to layer flavors wherever you can, so be sure your ingredients are up to muster. These beans can be made several days before you plan to serve them, so they are definitely hostess friendly. I hope you'll give them a try. Hot and sweet is hard to beat. Here is the recipe.