Tarragon Green Bean Salad

These green beans added to a lovely little spread of Provençal recipes for the Monaco Grand Prix this year.

They are cooked simply and mixed with a punchy dressing of lemon, cream and shallots, with an earthy kick from the fresh tarragon added just before serving.

*A note on ingredients: shallots are honestly a mystery to me. The sizing of a shallot seems like it should never enter a recipe as a whole unit because you may end up with a garlic clove amount or a small onion-sized amount of pungent aromatic. The original recipes called for 3 shallots, I used about 3/4 of a shallot and it was still a lot. I recommend about 2 tablespoons for this amount of dressing and green beans. But feel free to add more if you like it a bit punchier.

Tarragon Green Bean Salad

Makes 4 servings

1 pound (500g) tender green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt to taste
1 shallot, or enough to have 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
4 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped or snipped with scissors

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the green beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse in cold water, or place in an ice bath for 1 minute. Remove and set aside. 

2. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and a pinch of salt, shallots, and cream, whisk to combine. 

3. Put green beans in a large bowl, add dressing and toss to combine, add the minced tarragon, taste for seasoning and serve. 

Adapted from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence: Recipes Inspired by Her Farmhouse in France by Patricia Wells