The French know how to cook a vegetable—and these haricots verts are just divine!
Green beans are such a wholesome, delicious, healthy side that it’s important to have several ways to cook them in that recipe Rolodex in your mind. French cookery lends itself to techniques and classical cookery methods that help you to extract the optimal flavor and quality out of vegetables. Just picture Marie Antoinette’s chef, right? “We must get the haricots verts to the greenest quality that is possible for madame”—right? I’m not sure that’s why the French got green beans so right, but they most certainly did.
I mean, how do we most often eat green beans? Cooked for hours on the stove, often in some ham or beef-flavored seasonings with some diced onion, and we just stew them till the cows come home. But the French would say we are not bringing enough flavor through technique to these légumes.
These gently cooked green beans bring a whole new level of bright color and fresh, crisp, tender deliciousness to the table. And they look elegant as well, showcasing the green bean’s true beauty. Just dotted with shallots, butter, and garlic, this lovely side could be served at any fine dining establishment, but equally, it can look great on your table at home, too.
Why You’ll Love The French Method With Green Beans
Most foods, when removed from heat, continue to sizzle a bit from the heat trapped in their peels, skins, or what have you. It’s called after-cooking. But with the French method of cooking vegetables, the goal is to preserve the vegetable’s purest flavor. To make this happen, they quickly halt that after-cooking process by plunging those cooked-just-three-to-four-minutes-till-verdant-green beans into an icy water bath.
This makes the green beans HALT cooking in their tracks and helps preserve their naturally green, fresh, dewy flavor, one that just sparkles with the addition of splashes of zingy lemon juice.
You can tell the French know what they’re doing by this recipe, see?
How Do I Store Leftovers?
These green beans can keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days with tightly sealed foil, plastic wrap, or in an airtight container. They can also be frozen in freezer bags for up to 4 months. Throw the garlic, butter, and seasonings in there and all, and after you defrost them overnight, reheat in 30-second blasts in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve these wholesome haricots verts with a stunning French salmon preparation, like this Dijon Salmon. That luscious French-sauce fish with those bitter notes of Dijon mustard plays so nicely against the sweet, buttery, and garlicky notes of these haricots. Classic French potatoes au gratin or Scalloped Potatoes are another great option. For dessert, let’s keep with this French theme we’re playing through this meal with a truly stunning French pastry dessert: this delicious Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, or Strawberry Galette. You choose the fruit based on what’s in or “looking in” season in your area.
Haricots Verts (French Green Beans)
Ingredients
- 1 pound haricots verts French green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the haricots verts and finely chop the shallot.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water and place in ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the cooked haricots verts, salt, and pepper. Sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
- Remove from heat, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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