Green Bean Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese
Try this Green Bean Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Green Bean Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 82.940121962 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.458871688 g
- Fiber 38.8407817912702 g
- Protein 20.395612268 g
- Saturated Fat 0.2916680324 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1164g)
- Sodium 431.4860844 mg
- Sugar 44.0993401707298 g
- Trans Fat 0.780880422000001 g
- Calories 369 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.
- Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer to an ice bath until you are ready to assemble the salad.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Gradually add the oil and whisk until well combined; set aside.
- Assemble the salad, beginning with green beans, then adding fennel, walnuts and goat cheese.
- Top with dressing and enjoy!
How do you stop green beans from turning olive-drab and flaccid when blanched?
Plunging vegetables into boiling salted water activates chlorophyll retention while cooking starches uniformly. Cook the green beans for six to eight minutes until they reach a precise al dente bite, testing one piece by piercing it with the tip of a paring knife to check resistance. Submerging them immediately into a generous ice bath arrests the residual carryover cooking instantly. If a large mixing bowl for the ice bath is unavailable, strain the beans in a colander and hold them directly under very cold running tap water.
Can this vegetable component be prepped hours in advance without losing structural integrity?
Blanched green beans hold their bright color and snap for up to twenty-four hours when stored properly in a sealed container lined with dry paper towels to absorb excess surface moisture. Avoid freezing this salad, as the high water content in both the beans and the raw fennel bulb will rupture cellular walls during ice crystal formation, resulting in a mushy texture upon thawing. Walnuts should remain unchopped and unroasted until just before assembly to prevent oxidation of their delicate oils.
Why must emulsified dressings be whisked gradually rather than poured all at once?
Slowly streaming extra-virgin olive oil into Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar forces fat droplets to suspend evenly within the liquid without separating. Whisk vigorously while pouring the oil in a thin, steady stream to create a temporary emulsion that coats the vegetables rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Crumble the fresh goat cheese gently over the layered ingredients at the final moment of plating to preserve distinct pockets of creamy tang.
