by AntoniaJames
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A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseAntoniaJames's Notes:
Expand1 pound haricots verts (some call them "French beans") Ask a question about this ingredient
2 small organic Persian cucumbers (See note below.) Ask a question about this ingredient
Kosher salt for sprinkling over the cucumbers Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon minced shallot Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient
Yolk of one hard boiled egg Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste), warmed Ask a question about this ingredient
½ teaspoon lemon zest, or more to taste Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Ask a question about this ingredient
2 medium cloves of roasted garlic (See note below.) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon anise seed Ask a question about this ingredient
Pinch of sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
12 or 14 cherry tomatoes Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley Ask a question about this ingredient
In a very small dish, combine the shallot and vinegar.
Ask a question about this stepFinely dice the cucumbers (leaving the peels on, if they are organic). Put them in the bowl in which you plan to make the salad. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
Ask a question about this stepIn a small bowl, mash the yolk of the hard boiled egg with the back of a small fork, then add the honey, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, and the mustard. Beat well to combine, and to get out whatever lumps of egg yolk you can, without too much difficulty.
Ask a question about this stepIn a heavy mortar, crush the anise seed with the roasted garlic and a pinch of salt and grind to a smooth paste. Add to the egg yolk and lemon mixture; add the olive oil and whisk to combine.
Ask a question about this stepTrim the beans, then steam or blanche them to the degree of tenderness you like best.Plunge them into a basin of ice water when they're done, to prevent further cooking. Drain and shake off any excess water.
Ask a question about this stepDrain from the bowl with the cucumbers the water that has accumulated there. Add the cherry tomatoes and the beans.
Ask a question about this stepDrain the vinegar from the shallots into the bowl with the other dressing ingredients. Mix the dressing well and add to the salad, along with the shallots.
Ask a question about this stepGently toss. Test for salt and add more, if necessary. Add freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste. Sprinkle on the parsley.
Ask a question about this stepEnjoy!!
Ask a question about this stepNB: If taking this on a picnic, or making it ahead for a potluck, block party, etc., remember that the acids in the dressing and the cherry tomatoes will discolor the green beans if added too far in advance. So, instead of adding the tomatoes with the cucumbers and beans, and then tossing with the dressing, drop the cut tomatoes in a medium sized jar with the dressing. Put the shallots and vinegar in that jar too, instead of on the salad. So, in essence, you'll combine the cucumbers and the string beans in one container, and just before you're ready to serve, toss with the dressing, cherry tomatoes and shallots. The juices from the tomatoes, by the way, once combined with the other dressing ingredients, will make it really tasty. ;o)
Ask a question about this stepI find raw garlic to be a bit harsh, so I usually have roasted garlic on hand. (I put two or three cloves, unpeeled, on the baking sheet any time I roast vegetables, or in a ramekin when I'm baking bread.) If you need to roast some, put however much you want in an ovenproof dish and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until just soft. (It will start to bubble a bit and smell fragrant) This can take ten to twenty minutes -- or longer, I suppose -- depending on how hot your oven is, and the size of the garlic cloves.
Ask a question about this stepNote about cucumbers: If you can't get organic Persian cucumbers, use an English or other seedless cucumber. Peel it if it's not organic or if the skin is thick. You'll need about a cup and a half of chopped cucumber.
Ask a question about this stepCongratulations on your win! I look forward to trying this delicous salad when my "French beans" have grown!
Congratulations on your win. This sounds delicious. My family are string-bean fans, it's great to have a new way to prepare them.
Congrats AntoniaJames - I've got some HV in my fridge that are getting this treatment tonight....lucky beans. - S
Great recipe! Well deserved reward - will be fixing this recipe this week-end.
Congrats to you! Well deserved.
Congratulations! I love your dressing ingredients and look forward to trying this salad. I think it will become a summer staple.
Thank you, BKR! I actually posted the dressing recipe separately last year, shortly after I created this recipe, because I found it to be so versatile with our summer salads. Instead of using a hard-cooked egg yolk, I use creme fraiche and fruity olive oil. As you can see from the photo, I make it in my mortar and pestle. Here is the link: http://www.food52.com/recipes/4808_anise_lemon_honey_and_mustard_dressing
;o)
Thank you for the dressing recipe link! It looks delicious and I love that you make it in your mortar and pestle. I'll do the same. :)
Thank you so much, everyone. This is such an honor, especially when I look at all the recipes that you, and the other extremely talented and imaginative cooks in our midst here, submitted. And hats off to MeghanVK for her simple, elegant cucumber and melon salad, which is just as deserving for inclusion in the book. My heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your kind words and for your inspiration and encouragement. I love this community. ;o)
Congratulations to you!
Made this last night to go with our grilled chicken...it was delicious! Congratulations on the win!
Hurray! Congratulations, AJ! What a lovely salad. I am looking forward to trying it soon.
Many congrats on your well-deserved win!!
Congrats AJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ. Well done!
So happy for your win! Congratulations!!!
Congratulations! This is a wonderful recipe! I can't wait to give it a try once our green beans are finally ready to go!
Congratulations on winning for a really great, creative, original recipe.
Congratulations on the really well deserved win, your salad is so wonderful!
Congrats! Well done!
I made this tonight for my dinner. I tossed a little ditalini pasta into it (b/c I happened to have some in the frig) to make it a main dish for me. It was really delicious. The only change I might make next time is to toss the beans in the dressing while they're still warm to allow them to soak up the wonderfulness of the dressing. I can see this with some farro or barley too for a great vegetarian entree. Really a wonderful recipe, AJ! Congrats on it and being in the finalist circle!
What I most like about this recipe is the notes on the bottom ... so incredibly helpful!
Congrats on being a finalist! This dish looks great, I sooo prefer haricot verts over green beans they are far superior!
Thanks so much, SB! I'm with you on the haricots. Everyone else loves them too, it seems, because they sell out really quickly at our farmers' markets. ;o)
Thank you, Bevi. You're so kind. ;o)
Thank you, lapadia!! ;o)
Coming from you, that's quite the compliment, Midge. Thank you so much! ;o)
I "taste" winner! Congrats!
Thank you, SLCx. I hope you're right! ;o)
Thumbs up, AJ!
Thanks, LTC. You're the best. ;o)
Looks delicious - I love haricots verts and all of these flavors. I'll have to try it soon!
MeghanVK, I would be honored if you did. Thank you so much! ;o)
Congratulations AntoniaJames on the finalist spot its a fabulous recipe I love everything about it.
That's so nice of you, sdebrango! Thank you. ;o)
Hurrah AJ! I liked this one early on!
Thanks, HK! Yes, I know. I appreciate your support, always. ;o)
Congratulations on being a finalist...I'll definitely make this soon!
Thank you so much, IPK! I hope you do make it. The dressing is a favorite around here. ;o)
That looks and sounds delicious. Can't wait ti try it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, MTMT! I hope you will. ;o)
AJ, this looks like summer on a plate! The flavor balance looks to be perfect. This is a must try!
Thanks, HLA. I hope you do try it. The combination of anise, mustard, honey and lemon is right up your alley. ;o)
I can't wait to try this for a summer evening picnic. We have summer concerts at a park close to our house, so I wouldn't worry about the long term storage issue you raised.
Thank you, FM! A concert in the park, you say? Sounds perfect! I hope you make this, and love it. (Knowing your penchant for bright, fresh vegetables, I have a feeling you will.) ;o)
Thanks so much. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this one entered, however. I've never had any last, once made, for more than an hour or so, because we've devoured it immediately. I therefore don't know how well it keeps. I sometimes have problems with salad dressings turning the green veggies brown after a little while. So I need to test it again, this one for how well it holds up at room temperature over time. Stay tuned . . . . ;o)
Oh its too gorgeous not to keep can't you dress at the picnic site. That would prevent the veggies from turning brown. I know thats probably not ideal but its such a wonderful salad there has to be a way just in case it doesn't keep.
Hey, just to update you on this . . . I edited the instructions to add an alternate way of making this for a picnic. It's the obvious solution. You just keep the acids separate until immediately before serving. You put the halved cherry tomatoes, the vinegar (and shallots, just to be safe) and all of the other dressing ingredients in a jar, and then toss with the salad when it's time to eat. Easy!! ;o)
Perfect, I knew there had to be a way to do it. Such a wonderful recipe. Thank you i am going to make it most definitely.
This was initially posted before my food52 days; I cannot wait to put this together! And what a GORGEOUS photo!!
Thank you, wssmom. You're so kind. I find brilliantly colored anything (which usually means, in my case, veggies) so easy to photograph. ;o)
Mmm, the fresh tarragon plus champagne vinegar sounds fabulous! Will have to try that. ;o)
Have saved this for when our cherry tomatoes come up in this area!
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The ingredients: honey, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, lemon, parsley, haricots verts, tarragon (we used fresh, as we didn't have tarragon vinegar), anise seed, Persian cucumbers, shallot, roasted garlic and Dijon mustard.
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Amanda cheerily tops and tails some haricots verts.
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We mixed some fresh tarragon in with minced shallot and some white wine vinegar. If you don't have tarragon vinegar, we recommend you do the same!
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Some of the first cherry tomatoes of the season.
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A quick blanch is all these babies need -- you want a crisp salad, not a limp one.
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An ice bath helps with this too.
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Check out the steam rising in the background!
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Swaddled beans.
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Instead of using raw egg yolk, AJ calls for a hard-boiled egg yolk -- perfect for a picnic dish that may sit out for a bit!
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We roasted two garlic cloves in a little olive oil in a pan on the stove -- only took about 10 minutes!
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The roasted garlic and the anise seed make a fragrant paste.
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We noticed that it looked a little like anchovy paste going into the dressing.
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Teamwork!
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Look at that perfect dice! (That's Amanda's handiwork right there.)
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Is it us, or does it look like that rooster is trying to escape? Maybe it saw the remnants of the hard-boiled egg!
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Bring out the picnic blanket!
I just finished this salad for maybe the 5th or 6th time and I remembered that I never told you how wonderful it is. I love the vinaigrette and use it on other salads as well. Just had it with steak and its just so delicious. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.