By Design of Your Life
EVENTS
Ingredients
Yield
6-8 people
Total Time
15 minutes
prep Time
5 minutes
Level
Beginner
1 to 1 1/2 pounds French green beans 3 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp EVOO 3-4 shallots, sliced
Haricot vert is the French term for one of the long, slender green beans. "Haricot" means bean and "vert" means green in French. Haricots verts are longer and thinner than American green bean varieties and tend to be more tender and have a more robust flavor.
To blanch, food is briefly immersed in boiling water (often just a minute or two), followed by an ice bath to rapidly cool off the food.
When a food is blanched properly, the flavor, color, texture, and nutritional value is preserved. Blanching gently softens the outside of the food while keeping the interior crisp, sweetens the produce a little, and causes the vegetable to hold its color for a longer period of time.
Wash the green beans and peel the shallots, if needed. Remove the ends of the string beans and cut the shallots into large slices. Bring a large pot to a boil.
Blanch the beans for about 1 1/2 minutes. Make sure not to over do them or else they'll get mushy. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.
Heat the butter and oil in a large sauce or sauté pan and sauté the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned.
Drain the beans and add them to the sauté pan with the shallots. Salt and pepper to taste. Only heat the beans until they are warm.