To Boil French Beans

Ingredients

• a large saucepan of fast-boiling water
• a couple of ounces of fresh butter
• the juice of half a lemon

Method

1. 1

   Prepare beans by removing ends and stalks, wash, and boil in salted water for 12-18 minutes.

2. 2

   Drain, toss with butter, pepper, salt, and lemon juice, and serve hot.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Modern cookery, in all its branches (1884) by Eliza Acton, page 293. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

TO BOIL FRENCH BEANS. When the beans are very small and young, merely take off the ends and stalks, and drop them into plenty of spring water as they are done ; when all are ready wash and drain them well, throw them into a large saucepan of fast-boiling water, salted as usual (see page 309), and when they are quite tender, which will be in from twelve to eighteen minutes, pour them into a cullender, shake the water from them, dish, and send them quickly to table with good melted butter in a tureen. When from half to two parts grown, cut the beans obliquely into a lozenge form, or, when a less modern fashion is preferred, split them lengthwise into delicate strips, and then cut them once across : the strings should be drawn off with the tops and stalks. ]Sfo mode of dressing it can render this vegetable good when it is old, but if the sides be pared off, the beans cut thin, and boiled tender with rather more than the ordinary proportion of soda, they will be of excellent colour, and tolerably eatable. FRENCH BEANS A LA FRANQAISE. (ENTREMETS.) Boil, and drain them thoroughly ; then put them into a clean stewpan, or well-tinned iron saucepan, and shake them over the fire until they are very dry and hot; add to them from two to foui ounces of fresh butter cut into small bits, some white pepper, a little salt, and the juice of half a lemon toss them gently for a few minutes over a clear fire, and serve them very hot. Should the butter turn to oil, a spoonful or two of veal gravy or boiling watci must be added. V 822 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XVII, AN EXCELLENT RECEIPT FOR FRENCH BEANS A LA FRANQAISE. Prepare as many young and freshly-gathered beans as will serve for a large dish, boil them tender, and drain the water well from them, Melt a couple of ounces of fresh butter

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.