Long before Patrick Stewart commanded the Enterprise, he had already found his preferred fuel: a meal worth coming back to.
And the shopping list was considerably shorter than his extensive acting résumé.
The beloved Star Trek and X-Men actor died Oct. 28 at age 86, with his death announced the following day. Alongside the performances that made him recognizable to generations, he shared glimpses of his offscreen life—including a childhood meal he never outgrew.
One particular favorite required neither a reservation nor an occasion: beans on toast.
Stewart shared his affection for the British staple in a video, explaining that he had been eating it since he was an 8-year-old boy. That takes the tradition back to 1948, decades before audiences knew him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard or Professor Charles Xavier.
He described it as his “childhood comfort food.”
Apparently, becoming a household name didn’t mean everything on the plate needed an upgrade.
The dish is exactly what it sounds like: canned beans spooned over toasted bread. It’s an uncomplicated combo, and an accessible one for anyone whose enthusiasm for dinner fades at the prospect of washing another pan.
To make it, toast your bread while warming canned Heinz baked beans in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Spread butter over the crisp slices, top with the hot beans and serve while the toast still has some crunch.
You can finish it with black pepper, grated cheese or Worcestershire sauce. Those are optional additions, though; the account of Stewart’s fondness for the dish doesn’t specify his preferred method.
His spokesperson said he died at home in Los Angeles following a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The latter may sound familiar: actor Robin Williams also lived with the condition, though it wasn’t officially diagnosed until after his death.
Remembering him will mean revisiting performances, from the starship bridge to the world of the X-Men. But his love for a childhood lunch offers another, smaller connection: something familiar to make at home, perhaps before putting on one of his many classics.