String Beans Amandine
My first encounter with the term "Amandine" was so many years ago. On Sundays my grandparents would go for a drive. I often accompanied them. Occasionally they would drive out to Sag Harbor to visit friends and we would stop in Riverhead for either lunch on the way out or early dinner on the way back at the Hotel Henry Perkins.
The hotel had a very nice restaurant and my favorite dish was the filet of flounder amandine. Sadly those days are gone. I think the hotel is now a retirement home and once the expressway was completed the town itself slowly dwindled, as traffic passed it by. I was always on the lookout for the world famous L.I. Duck store, I knew once we passed it in Flanders it wasn't too much longer to our destination.
T h e term amandine means to garnish with almonds, simple enough, it does however turn an ordinary dish into something quite fanciful and delicious. At the same time it is quite easy to prepare. There are a number of different foods that go well with this, fish, potatoes, asparagus to name a few.
Most often the almonds are toasted served with browned butter and lemon juice. Depending on the food you are adding it to will decide the exact sequence of events, but the main idea is to not soak the almonds so they stay crisp
Directions
- In a non stick fry pan on medium heat toast the almonds, stirring continuously until they begin to lightly brown.
- Once they begin to brown, remove from the heat and place into a bowl to cool.
- If using canned beans drain thoroughly and pat dry, too much moisture on the beans will cause them to splatter when put into the hot butter.
- For 2 cans of string beans place about 4 Tbs of butter into a fry pan and on medium heat, brown the butter by cooking until the butter solids start to brown, do not over cook and burn the butter as this will cause a very acrid taste.
- When the butter begins to brown add the beans and cook and stir until most of the butter is absorbed by the beans.
- Now add the lemon juice and salt and pepper, adjust the seasoning and at the last moment add the almonds stir to combine and place into a serving bowl.