Green bean salad with brioche croutons and tarragon aioli
Green beans sing in a crunchy-creamy salad from Josef Centeno, executive chef at Opus restaurant. Tarragon gives the aioli a refreshing herbal note and a walnut vinaigrette provides the perfect hit of acid. “It’s a dish that has gone through a bit of an evolution as far as finding the right balance of flavors and textures,” Centeno says. “Every year at this time I play with it again. This year it came into its own.”
Restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila remembers “everyone at the table demolishing the entire salad in a few minutes. The hazelnuts add a distinctive nutty note to the dressing.”
Reserve remaining aioli and vinaigrette for another use. For the grated egg, place two eggs in a pot with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil; simmer 12 minutes. Shock in an ice bath; then peel and grate.
Tarragon aioli
In a blender or food processor, add the egg, garlic and Dijon. Let the blender run for 30 seconds, then slowly (drop by drop) add the grapeseed oil until it starts to thicken. (If it gets too thick, add a little water.)
Add the shallots, tarragon and chervil; blend. Add one-fourth teaspoon salt, one-eighth teaspoon pepper and the vinegar; blend.
Stir in the grated egg and cornichons. Adjust salt and vinegar to taste. Makes 1 1/4 cups.
Walnut vinaigrette
Combine the vinegar, olive oil, walnut oil, onion and garlic in a blender until emulsified. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Makes 3/4 cup.
Green bean salad
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the bread in the melted butter, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the croutons turn a nice golden brown. Set aside.
In a medium pot, blanch the beans in salty boiling water until their raw flavor is gone but they are still crunchy, 2 to 4 minutes. Shock them in a salty ice bath; drain. Set aside.
Put the tarragon aioli and walnut vinaigrette in a bowl and mix well. Add the croutons, grated egg, shallots, chervil, chive, tarragon and dill. Coat everything well with the dressing. Add the beans and mix well.
Finish with the lemon zest and the Parmesan and nuts, if using, and a little more vinaigrette if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chervil, chive, tarragon and dill. Divide the salad among four plates and serve.
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