Purée de Haricots Verts

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart (2.8 L) saucepan
• •10-inch (25 cm) wide sauté pan
• •8-inch (20 cm) sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible heatproof spatula
• •Dry volume measuring cups

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the flageolets

   Put the cooked flageolets in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter and ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the loosening water. Cover and warm over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the beans crush without resistance. Mash them, then press them through a fine-mesh sieve and scrape the creamy purée from its underside. If the beans are too stiff to pass cleanly, return them to the pan with a teaspoon of the remaining water and warm them again. Don't force a dry paste through the mesh. Keep the finished purée warm and covered.

2. 2

   Boil the green beans

   Bring the 2½ quarts (2.4 L / 2.4 kg) water to a full boil and add the 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) salt. Add the green beans and cook uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, until fully tender and easily crushed between two fingers. Al dente beans resist the sieve and leave the purée fibrous, so tenderness matters more than a fashionable snap. Drain thoroughly, shake the colander well, and leave the beans for 2 minutes so surface water can escape.

3. 3

   Étuver in butter

   Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) butter in a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the drained green beans and étuver, meaning stew them gently in butter, for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often. Their remaining water should cook away until the sputtering quiets and the butter clings to every piece without browning. If the butter begins coloring before the beans feel dry, lower the heat and add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the reserved water, then cook it away gently. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Sieve while warm

   Working while the beans are still warm, press them firmly through the cleaned fine-mesh sieve with a flexible spatula or wooden spoon. Scrape every bit of purée from the underside and leave the tough fibers behind. Measure the finished green bean purée by volume. About 1½ cups (375 ml) is expected, but the actual yield decides the formula.

5. 5

   Measure and combine

   Measure flageolet purée equal to exactly half the volume of the green bean purée. For 1½ cups (375 ml) green bean purée, use ¾ cup (180 ml) flageolet purée. Fold them together in a clean saucepan over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring until the color is even and the mixture holds soft folds. If it spreads like a loose sauce, keep stirring gently until the extra moisture evaporates. If it stands stiffly, loosen it one teaspoon of hot water at a time. Taste before adding any finishing salt.

6. 6

   Bring it to table

   Spoon the purée into a warmed shallow serving dish and shape it in broad, generous folds. It needs no herb, pepper, or decorative scattering; green beans, flageolets, salt, and butter are the complete flavor. Serve beside roast lamb, veal, or chicken while the surface still carries its buttered sheen. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose fine green beans that bend before they snap and show no dry bulges around the seeds. When the fresh beans are tired, frozen fine green beans are the honest answer; cook them from frozen and begin testing for tenderness after 4 minutes.
• •Canned flageolets work very well here. Rinse them if their liquid tastes aggressively salty, then warm and sieve them as directed. Creamy describes the finished texture, not an invitation to add cream; the source builds this purée from beans, butter, and careful sieving.
• •A blender cannot replace the final sieve. It chops the fibers smaller but leaves them in the dish, while the sieve removes them and gives the purée its quiet, silken finish. A sturdy fine-mesh sieve about 8 inches (20 cm) across makes the work comfortable.
• •The flageolet must remain the supporting flavor. Measure it at half the volume of the green bean purée, not half the weight and not half the raw beans. More makes the color pale and the taste floury.

Advance Preparation

• •The flageolet purée can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Press buttered parchment directly against its surface, refrigerate it, and warm it gently with a teaspoon of water before measuring.
• •The completed Purée de Haricots Verts can be made 1 day ahead, though its green color will soften slightly. Reheat it over low heat with a spoonful of water, stirring constantly and never letting it boil.
• •For a dinner party, hold the finished purée for up to 30 minutes in a covered bowl set over barely simmering water. Stir once before serving and loosen it with a teaspoon of hot water if the surface has tightened.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)