Steamed Haricots Verts And Potatoes Recipes

PERFECT HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of ice water and season it generously with salt.
• Add the beans to the boiling water and cook them until they are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Bite a bean to be sure they are properly cooked. Put them immediately in the bowl of salted ice water to stop the cooking or to "shock" them. When they are cold, remove them from the water and let them dry a little.
• Coat a large saute pan with both clarified butter and olive oil. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat, add the shallots and brown. Add the haricot vert, season with salt and saute until all the beans are coated with oil and hot. Serve immediately or later at room temperature.

BROILED SALMON WITH CURRIED EGGPLANT CHUTNEY AND STEAMED HARICOTS VERTS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• In a saucepan simmer eggplant, bell pepper, and onion in water, lemon juice, and cider vinegar with curry powder, mustard seeds, and 1/4 cup brown sugar, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes, or until most of liquid is evaporated. Season mixture with salt and stir in parsley. Cool chutney to room temperature. Chutney may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Preheat broiler.
• In a bowl stir together balsamic vinegar, mustard, cayenne, remaining tablespoon brown sugar, and salt to taste and add salmon, turning to coat. Arrange fish, skin side down, on rack in broiler pan and broil about 4 inches from heat 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Discard skin.
• Serve fish with chutney and haricots verts and potatoes.

POTATOES AND HARICOTS VERTS WITH VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk together vinegar, mustard, pepper, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• Quarter potatoes, then cover with cold water by 1 inch in a 4- to 5-quart pot and bring to a boil with remaining teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, then transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl and toss with onion and all but 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• While potatoes cool, cook green beans in a 3-quart saucepan of boiling salted water, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Just before serving, toss potato mixture with green beans, celery, parsley, and remaining 1/4 cup vinaigrette.

HARICOTS VERTS WITH WALNUTS AND WALNUT OIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts in a small baking dish. Bake until you can hear the walnuts sizzling or smell them when you open the oven door, about 5 minutes. (Set your timer!) Remove from the oven and coarsely chop. Set aside and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water, seasoned with sea salt so that it tastes like ocean water, to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook until they are just tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. (Don't overcook: they will continue to cook out of the water.) Drain, then spread out on a clean kitchen towel to soak up the excess water.
• Gather the beans while hot and toss in a bowl with the warm walnuts and the walnut oil. Season generously to taste with pepper and perhaps a little more salt. Serve now or later. (They're lovely after a few hours too.)

HARICOTS VERTS (THIN FRENCH GREEN BEANS) WITH HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Stir together all ingredients except haricots verts with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined well.
• Cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts water), uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes, then drain. Toss with herb butter.
• Do Ahead
• Herb butter can be made ahead and chilled, covered, 3 days or frozen, rolled into a cylinder in plastic wrap and kept in a sealed bag, 1 week. Haricots verts can be trimmed 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealed bag lined with paper towels.