Haricots Verts

Know this

Here is what most people never learn: haricots verts are their own variety, bred to stay slender and harvested before the seeds inside ever swell. That is why they cost more, and why they are worth it. At the market look for beans that are uniformly pencil-thin and snap clean with an audible crack, because a bean that bends instead of breaking is old. Skip any bag where the sizes run wide, since thin and thick in the same pan means half of them are mush before the rest are done. One more thing: do not string them and do not trim both ends. They are stringless, and in a French kitchen you top the stem end only and leave the delicate pointed tail on. It is tender, it cooks fine, and the plate looks like someone who knew what they were doing put it there.

Cook

Two to three minutes in aggressively salted boiling water, straight into ice water to lock the color, then dry them completely. Finish in hot butter for sixty seconds right before you eat, with a few chips of crisped garlic if you want the restaurant version.

Season

Peak summer, July into August.

Best pairings

toasted almond · shallot · brown butter · lemon · dijon · lardons

Also worth trying: garlic, tarragon, hazelnut, cherry tomato, new potato, soft egg, anchovy, feta, red onion, olives, parmesan, sherry vinegar, capers, thyme, toasted breadcrumbs.

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