French bean salad with foie gras

Do you remember French bean salad – a dish quite prominently featured in the 90s?

This version comes straight from the Kichechef cookbooks of the 90s, where the bean salad was served with pan-fried mullet. I’ve decided to swap the fish for foie gras – a bold choice, which was inspired by a recent restaurant visit, where I came across this very same dish and loved it.

It’s still a French bean salad — just more decadent and luxurious.

As part of Kichechef’s 50th anniversary, I’m going back to their 90s cookbooks to see which recipes still hold up today.

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Ingredients

250g French beans
40g foie gras

For the vinaigrette:
1 small shallot
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
A good pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper

Method

Reinterpretation of Paul Eischen’s recipe

Serves 2 as a side

Peel and finely dice the shallot and put into the vinegar while preparing the beans.

Trim the beans and cook in salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes until soft.

Drain and cool under a running tab of cold water.

Pull the beans lengthwise in two.

Make the vinaigrette: add the mustard to the shallots and vinegar, together with the olive oil and a pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper, seal with a lid and stir until emulsified.

Pour the vinaigrette over the beans and toss to combine.

Arrange the beans on a serving platter.

Cut the foie gras into dice and arrange over the beans. Sprinkle with a bit of fleur de sel and pepper and serve.