Who doesn’t love baked beans? In summer, though, they can seem a bit heavy and out of place. To lighten this classic New England dish, here’s a variation made with white beans and white beer.
*Note:
Brining beans—as opposed to soaking them—makes the skins tender but allows them to stay intact during a long cooking. To brine beans, dissolve 1½ tablespoons of table salt in 2 quarts (8 cups) of cold water. Stir until all the salt has dissolved. This is enough brine for 1 pound of beans. Let the beans soak in the brine for at least 8 hours, or up to 12. Then rinse them well (or your dish will taste like a mouthful of ocean water).