Recipe: Peter Callahan's Baked Beans in Bacon Cups with Habanero Honey (appetizers)

BAKED BEANS IN BACON CUPS
"We came up with this idea when we were hired to cater a party for a fashion company that was launching a new line of jeans. The inspiration was cowboys and pots of beans warming over a campfire."



FOR THE HABANERO HONEY:
1 cup honey
1 fresh habanero chile, thinly sliced

FOR THE BEANS:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, very finely chopped
2 1/2 cups canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 thick-cut bacon strips, finely chopped
1/4 cup port wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt

FOR THE BACON CUPS:
Nonstick pan spray
2 pounds thin-cut bacon

FOR SERVING:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped red or yellow bell pepper (or a combination of the two)
2 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

TO PREPARE THE HABANERO HONEY:
Pour the honey into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat, add the habanero, and allow the honey to cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container.

TO PREPARE THE BEANS:
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the beans, brown sugar, bacon, port, cilantro, molasses, 1 tablespoon of the habanero honey, and the chili powder and salt. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the mixture is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

TO PREPARE THE BACON CUPS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Turn a mini muffin pan upside-down and lightly coat the bottom with nonstick pan spray.

Crisscross 3 slices of bacon over each upturned cup, and then place another mini muffin pan on top so that the bacon slices are compressed between the two pans. Place the pans on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until the bacon cups are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Lift off the top pan. Carefully remove the bacon cups from the bottom pan and place them on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain, wrong side up.

HOW TO SERVE:
Gently reheat the beans in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through (add 1 tablespoon water if they're too thick or dry).

Place a spoonful of the beans into each bacon cup. Top with a dot of sour cream, some bell peppers, and a scallion ring. Serve.

Makes two dozen
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Bite by Bite by Peter Callahan with Raquel Pelzel