tonight's dinner

k... tonight is the season premiere of "deadwood" on hbo, and i decided i wanted something big and beefy for dinner tonight, so i'm going to pan sear some steaks and make my usual shallot sauce with some sort of booze and heavy cream. also, i'm going to make some green beans with bacon and shallots and some glazed carrots.

all of the recipes besides the green beans are located elsewhere on this blog... in the case of the steak, in several locations.

these beans should be good

haricots verts with shallots

2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
3 shallots, minced
1/4 lb bacon, diced
freshly ground pepper
salt if necessary (and taste first)
quick squeeze lemon juice to finish

bring 3 qt salted water to boil in a large pot and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. plunge green beans into boiling water, and stir gently for 2 minutes. remove to ice bath to stop cooking. you can do this step up to several hours ahead, and if you do, remove beans from ice bath, wrap in paper towels and put in the fridge.

when you want to finish the dish, place a large saute pan over slightly more than medium heat and render bacon. remove to a bowl and keep for service. add shallots to pan and saute till translucent and add green beans and pepper. heat just through and hit it with the wee squeeze of lemon juice and top with bacon bits. serve immediately.