Sunday, August 8, 2010

Green beans with mustard crema


When I was looking through all the Summer Fest recipes last week, I came across a mention of another blog event called Magazine Mondays, organized by Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice (a very drool-inducing blog). It's simple - basically, every Monday, Ivonne compiles a list of blog posts featuring magazine recipes. I was really excited to find out about this - I subscribe to Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit, and while I love reading through the magazines every month and always flag interesting recipes, I rarely end up using them. Magazine Mondays might be just the motivation I need!

My entry this week is from the August 2010 issue of Cooking Light. This issue has a feature on recipes inspired by farmers' markets, which is right up my alley. This recipe was created by a chef in Boulder, CO, but it is perfect for the gorgeous green beans that I have been buying here in MA. It's simple, quick, and tasty, with subtle flavors that don't mask the fresh taste of the beans. I think this dish would be a nice accompaniment to almost anything.

I used sour cream instead of creme fraiche here, just based on what I could get at the store. I also increased the amounts of the thyme and almonds because I really like how they taste with beans. Next time, I might increase the amount of mustard as well - I would have liked the flavor to come out a bit more. I'd recommend tasting the dressing and adjusting to your preference.



Green beans with mustard crema
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010
Serves 6 according to the recipe, more like 12 in my opinion

3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tbs minced fresh chives
4 1/2 tbs creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbs whole-grain mustard
1.5 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 tbs toasted sliced almonds

Bring a pot of water to a boil with 2 tsp salt. Add beans and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately plunge beans into ice water, or run under cold water until beans are cool. Drain and pat dry.

Combine the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, chives, creme fraiche, mustard, thyme, and pepper in a large bowl, and mix with a whisk. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Add beans and toss. Top with toasted almonds.

6 comments:

  1. It is hard to find creme fraiche around here- but you can make your own! Mix one tablespoon buttermilk or yogurt with 1 cup heavy cream and let it sit at room temperature 24 hours or until thickened. It's delicious with the local Highlawn Farms cream.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're sweet Ranjani! Now I have a recipe for all those green beans in the garden! Delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you are joining us for Magazine Mondays. Your recipe looks wonderful. Looking forward to your Summer Fest recipe later this week

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have that issue, but missed this recipe! It's bookmarked now!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a great green bean recipe. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.