Baked Bean and Spoon Bread Cobbler

Submitted by KathyP53

"Wonderful barbecue side dish from Williams Sonoma!"

 

• Ready In: 8hrs
• Ingredients: 23
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• Beans

• 1 lb navy beans
• 1 meaty ham hock
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups diced yellow onions

• Baked Bean Spice Mix

• 1 cup blackstrap molasses (unsulphured)
• 1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

• Spoon Bread

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (finely ground)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus a pinch)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 extra large eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

directions

1. RInse beans and drain.Place in a 6 quart ovenproof stockpot and add water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover. Remove from heat and let stand for one hour.
2. Drain beans, cover with fresh water and add ham hock, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender but not mushy, about 45-60 minutes.
3. Place a colander over a large bowl and strain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Remove the ham hock, place on a cutting board and allow to cool, When ham hock is cool enough to handle, slice through the rind, peel off in a single layer and reserve. Remove any meat and coarsely chop, discarding bone and tendon. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
5. RInse out the stockpot and place on stovetop. Pour in vegetable oil and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly translucent and just tender, 5-7 minutes, Do not allow them to brown.
6. In a bowl, stir together molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper. Add spice mix to the pot with onions, stirring well to incorporate, and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, 4 cups of reserved cooking liquid, ham hock meat, and rind, and stir to incorporate. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake until beans are very tender, 3-4 hours. Remove and discard the ham hock rind and bay leaves. If there is too much liquid in the beans, strain them, reserving the liquid and adding it back to beans in 1/2 cup increments to reach desired consistency.
7. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
8. In a small bowl, stir together the cornmeal, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, sugar, and cayenne pepper. In a saucepan over high heat, scald the milk. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the cornmeal mixture. Switch from whisk to wooden spoon or spatula and add the butter, stirring constantly until smooth, 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir with spoon or spatula to incorporate egg yolks and baking powder.
9. In a bowl using electric mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peak forms and then fold in cornmeal mixture.
10. Spoon warm baked beans into 9" square baking dish, spreading them evenly. Top with spoon bread batter, leaving a 1/2" border uncovered around the edges. Place dish on foild-lined baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until top of spoon bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.