Many, many, many years ago (read "about 40 to 42 years ago"), I got a wonderful baked beans recipe from Gourmet Magazine. It was not in the main part of the magazine, in an article, but was a family recipe submitted in a letter to the editor, from a couple whose last name was Allen. My Beautiful Wife and I made it a number of times, and loved it. We referred to it as (not surprisingly) "Baked Beans Allen". I don't recall that either the submitting couple or the magazine referred to it just that way.

Sad to say, over the years we've lost track of the recipe, and an inquiry of Gourmet Magazine (long after the original publication) resulted in what I'd call "blank looks" if we could have seen their faces.

The recipe started with some sort of dried beans, which variety I don't know. Tomato? I don't remember, but not a lot of tomato if any. It had cumin, I think coriander, and about three other spices or herbs. I think it had chunks of ham in it, although I'm not sure. It was slightly sweetened, I'm tempted to say with honey. It was somewhat spicy, although not "hot".

The recipe took about 24 hours to make, with perhaps 18 hours baking in a slow oven, is my recollection. Believe you me, it was wonderful, and well worth the time invested.

I've Googled forty ways from Sunday, trying to find this or similar online, but no such luck. To use my sainted grandmother's phrase, "I'd give a pretty" to have that recipe, or something like it.

Anyone have any ideas?

Dave Oesterreich