Green Beans with Creamy Herb Sauce

[b-man]

Green Beans with Creamy Herb Sauce


In this recipe we've dressed green beans with a sauce that combines sour cream, white white and shallots with the aromatic flavors of fresh herbs: parsley, tarragon, chives, sage and thyme.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter
5 shallots (or 1 medium red onion), peeled and minced
¾ cup white wine
1 pound (500 g) green beans, topped and tailed
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, halved and peeled
1 branch fresh thyme, plus just the leaves from two additional branches
1 pint (500 ml) sour cream or crème fraîche
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chive or scallion
4-6 sage leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat the butter in a large skillet until foamy. Add the shallots and sauté until tender and translucent.

Add the white wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

While the shallots cook, bring a large sauce pan full of salted water to a boil. Add the beans, bay leaf, halved garlic clove and the thyme branch to the boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer until the beans are just tender -- 2 to 4 minutes). Drain the beans reserving a cup or so of their cooking liquid. Discard the bay, garlic and thyme branch.

Add the sour cream and the beans to the shallots. Mix well and simmer for a minute or two until the beans are heated through.

Toss with the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for another minute or two and serve immediately.

Serves: 6

B-man