eat make read

I visited the new Standard Grille at the Standard Hotel last week and fell in love. Everything I ate (and drank) was super tasty, but one thing stood out… the haricot verts, or green beans. Green beans seem like such an odd ball thing to stand out, but these were unlike any beans I’ve ever had. They had a creamy, cinnamon-flecked yogurt coat and were sprinkled with crispy little shallots. Totally dreamy, I’m telling you. Of course I immediately set out to make them at home.

It didn’t seem very hard since the ingredients are pretty basic. I just picked up a little cup of plain yogurt at the market, a shallot to fry up and of course some haricot verts. Good yogurt is important because it plays such an important role in the recipe. I simply added some cinnamon to the yogurt and stirred it up until the yogurt had a million little flecks of cinnamon integrated thoughout. The green beans just need a quick blanch, and then time to cool cool while I fried up the shallots. For those, I sliced them as thinly as I could and then separated the little circles so it looked like I had mini onion rings. I fried them up in some oil and set them on paper towel to drain some of the oil. A quick mix of beans and yogurt and a sprinkle of shallots and I was ready to crunch away.

The beans retain a nice a crisp, crunch but the cinnamony yogurt brings this delightful bit of creamy sweet tang that works surprisingly well. The shallots add a lovely crisp oniony goodness that brings back memories of green bean casserole over Thanksgiving dinner. I just love how there’s always something new to try, even with an ingredient so simple as a green bean.

haricot vert with cinnamon yogurt + shallots
inspired by the Standard Grille

1/2 pound haricot vert (skinny green beans)
1/4 cup good quality plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 shallot, thinly sliced and separated
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1
In a medium pot, bring water to boil.
2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and yogurt and set aside.
3
Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. If the beans are too hot the yogurt will begin to curdle.
4
In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, add the shallots and watch closely. As soon as they begin to brown, removed them with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel coated plate.
5
Combine the cooled green beans and yogurt until all the beans are covered. Sprinkle with the fried shallots and eat up!