Boston Baked Beans

I'd been looking for a good baked bean recipe for a few years. I'd tried a couple and none were ever very good. I made one last call to my friends and family for a recipe that rocked, and my bud Martha came through! These beans are fantastic!

Thanks to Martha for sharing! Check out her food blog - Throwing Spoons

From Cook's Illustrated - Published January 1, 2003. 

Ingredients

4 oz salt pork, trimmed of rind and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 oz bacon (2 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup mild molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard

1 pound dried small white beans (navy or pea beans, about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over

Table salt

1 tablespoon mild molasses

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300°F.
2. Add salt pork and bacon to 8-quart Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and most fat is rendered, about 7 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup molasses, mustard, beans, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 9 cups water; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pot and set in oven.
4. Bake until beans are tender, about 4 hours, stirring once after 2 hours.  Remove lid and continue to bake until liquid has thickened to syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer.
5. Remove beans from oven; stir in remaining tablespoon of molasses, vinegar, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Why this recipe works: To create a Boston Baked Beans recipe packed with multiple levels of intense flavor yet traditional enough to make Fannie Farmer proud, we started with a combination of salt pork and bacon browned in a Dutch oven before adding dried small white beans. Cider vinegar gave our sauce tanginess while mustard and molasses boosted its flavor. Removing the lid for the last hour of cooking reduced the sauce in our Boston Baked Beans recipe to a syrupy, intensified state.

The beans can be made ahead. After cooking, cool them to room temperature and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Serves: 4 to 6

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Original Recipe Found HERE

• Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) package elbow macaroni

• 1 (2 pound) lobster, split

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 10 black peppercorns

• 2 cups milk

• 5 tablespoons butter

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 pound shredded Gruyere cheese

• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 cup grated Romano cheese

• kosher salt and pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Reserve about 2 cups of the hot pasta water, then drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, and rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside.
2. Return the pasta water to the large pot, and place the lobster halves in the pot, cut-side up. Return the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam the lobster just until the meat firms and turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove the lobster and allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove the meat and cut into bite sized pieces. Reserve the shells.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes; scrape the onions into a small bowl and set aside. Place the reserved lobster shells, garlic, shallots, peppercorns, and milk into the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown. Strain the milk through a mesh sieve. Gradually whisk the milk into the flour mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture is thick and smooth.
6. Stir the Gruyere, Cheddar, and Romano cheeses into the thickened milk mixture until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the reserved lobster, onions, and macaroni. Pour the macaroni into a 4 quart casserole and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with the panko crumbs.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbly, and the top is golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes.

CHEF'S NOTE: I got 2 - 1 pounds lobsters and had them steamed at the store rather than do it myself. It was quick and cost no extra money.

I had to add more milk before I added the cheese because there was no liquid at all - it was just a paste of flour, butter and milk. I probably added somewhere between 1-2 cups.