Maple Baked Beans
I am not sure if Friendsgiving is officially a word in the dictionary yet, but it should be because it’s definitely a thing. If Thanksgiving were pumpkin pie, then Friendsgiving would be pumpkin bourbon cheesecake… a bit over the top, but totally worth having. It’s a coming together of friends to feast Thanksgiving-style but without all the family mishigas (yiddish term for craziness). A friend who is very dear to me hosted Friendsgiving supper last year, which was especially sweet because most of my girlfriends from this group were transients like me, so it made us feel more like a little family when we all came together for this fairly new and trendy meal.I’ve been told that most Friendsgiving meals are a little more toned down than actual Thanksgiving in ways, but a setup crafted by Robin Haller is never going to be anything less than extraordinary. I posted a few pictures for some inspiration in case you ever plan on hosting a Friendsgiving. I really appreciated how she went the extra mile from renting tables and chairs to all the decorations including handwritten name cards, personalized notes with party favors, and a huge menu with clever names for all of the dishes.
Addy was more into Friendsgiving than she may appear above...
This is my third year in a row where I was invited to a Friendsgiving meal. Usually, I try to get myself in charge of the stuffing in order to ensure that it will be vegetarian because that’s my favorite dish, but this year I am heading over to a new Friendsgiving supper in a little place called Astoria, Queens. Vik and Shalini are hosting their 2nd annual Friendsgiving meal and they have assigned me to dishes that I have never been in charge of before: string bean casserole & baked beans.This baked beans recipe comes in handy when I least expect. Everyone has their own T-giving traditions, but baked beans were never on the table at my family meal. The last time I made them was for a wedding, which seemed like another unusual setting to make baked beans, but it was a backyard BBQ wedding, so they ended up working out perfectly. I am sure that they will work out perfectly again when they sit next to the mac & cheese at this Friendsgiving meal and I am excited that I get to eat this dish in a few days!“Dem beans” has been the nickname for this recipe amongst my fellow culinary school grad friends. This dish comes from a recipe that was given to me in culinary school. The maple syrup in this recipe gives it a Thanksgiving feel, but I personally love to make my baked beans this way all year round. If you bring this dish to your Friendsgiving meal, let me know how it went over, although I can tell you now that it will not disappoint!
Baked Beans
Author:
Michele Wolfson
Adapted a little from NGI recipe and a little from The Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups navy beans, soaked, rinsed, and drained
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 small onion, small dice
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste
2 tablespoons white miso, dissolved in 1/2 cup bean cooking liquid
1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and bay leaf in 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, skimming foam off the top as needed. Lower heat and simmer covered, until soft, about 60-70 minutes. Drain beans, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard, chili paste, miso, salt and reserved cooking liquid; mix with cooked beans.
Place bean mixture into a medium Dutch oven or bean pot and baked covered for 60 to 90 minutes. After 1 hour, check every 15 minutes to make sure that sauce has not dried out. Beans are ready when the sauce has thickened. If you like, you can remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.