The Sweet Fruit To Reach For The Next Time You're Heating Up Canned Baked Beans

Whenever you use a canned side dish, there's always room for some improvement. The trick is not only identifying what ingredient would improve it, but also the ingredient's form. Peach preserves have the perfect flavor in a form that is ideal for elevating a can of bland baked beans.

Peach preserves are an excellent pairing with baked beans because of their concentrated flavors. Baked beans always benefit from some added sugar — the softer taste of the peaches partners well with the spices in the bean sauce without overwhelming the taste. Unlike peach juice, which can water down the texture, or peach syrup, which can over-sweeten in an attempt to add enough fruity taste, preserves only need a small spoonful to impart their flavor.

Bring your beans to a simmer and add a dollop of peach preserves, letting them diffuse through the pot before serving. One of the best parts of peach preserves as a flavor-enhancer is that they match with virtually any other ingredient you may want to add. From jalapeños to pork, peach preserves have enough flavor to be noticed but not so much that they conquer the flavor profile of the whole side dish, making them a highly versatile ingredient for canned baked beans.

Simple ingredients can take canned baked beans from boring to brilliant in a pinch, but they have to work well together. If you've already decided to use peach preserves, you'll generally want to lean toward ingredients that add some extra spice, rich savoriness, or a touch of acidity.

The simplest way to upgrade canned baked beans is to add bacon. Full of rich, umami fat, bacon complements peach preserves excellently to create something as satisfying as it is sweet. While you're at it, why not try to balance out the sugar with a little capsaicin by tossing in a minced jalapeño or even some scotch bonnets if you're feeling particularly daring. A bit of spice helps cut through the heavier flavors of pork, adding some tasteful variety to your beans' flavor profile.

All the richness from pork fat and sugar may be too much for some palates. If this sounds like you, consider learning how to cook with a gastrique. Gastriques are caramelized sugar dissolved in vinegar, so caramelize a spoonful of peach preserves in a pot, add half a spoonful of apple cider vinegar, and combine thoroughly before pouring in your canned baked beans. The touch of acid from the vinegar brightens up the dish considerably and gives it a much broader range of flavors that don't solely rely on rich fat and sugar.