Picnic Perfect Haricots Verts / Green Bean Salad (f/k/a Haricots Verts à la Dijonnaise)

Directions

1. In a very small dish, combine the shallot and vinegar.
2. Finely dice the cucumbers (leaving the peels on, if they are organic). Put them in the bowl in which you plan to make the salad. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mash the yolk of the hard boiled egg with the back of a small fork, then add the honey, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, and the mustard. Beat well to combine, and to get out whatever lumps of egg yolk you can, without too much difficulty.
4. In a heavy mortar, crush the anise seed with the roasted garlic and a pinch of salt and grind to a smooth paste. Add to the egg yolk and lemon mixture; add the olive oil and whisk to combine.
5. Trim the beans, then steam or blanch them to the degree of tenderness you like best. I find that 3-4 minutes in a pot of salted boiling water does the trick nicely. Drain and immerse the beans in a basin of ice water when they're done, to prevent further cooking. Drain and shake off any excess water.
6. Drain any accumulated liquid from the bowl with the cucumbers. Add the cherry tomatoes and the beans.
7. Drain the vinegar from the shallots into the bowl with the other dressing ingredients. Mix the dressing well and add to the salad, along with the shallots.
8. Gently toss. Test for salt and add more, if necessary. Add freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste. Sprinkle on the parsley.
9. Enjoy!! ;o)
10. NB: If taking this on a picnic, or making it ahead for a potluck, block party, etc., remember that the acids in the dressing and the cherry tomatoes will discolor the green beans if added too far in advance. So, instead of adding the tomatoes with the cucumbers and beans, and then tossing with the dressing, drop the cut tomatoes in a medium sized jar with the dressing. Put the shallots and vinegar in that jar too, instead of on the salad. So, in essence, you'll combine the cucumbers and the string beans in one container, and just before you're ready to serve, toss with the dressing, cherry tomatoes and shallots. The juices from the tomatoes, by the way, when mixed with the other dressing ingredients, make it quite tasty. ;o)
11. I find raw garlic to be a bit harsh, so I usually have roasted garlic on hand. (I put two or three cloves, unpeeled, on the baking sheet any time I roast vegetables, or in a ramekin when I'm baking bread.) If you need to roast some, put however much you want in an ovenproof dish and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until just soft. (It will start to bubble a bit and smell fragrant) This can take ten to twenty minutes -- or longer, I suppose -- depending on how hot your oven is, and the size of the garlic cloves.
12. Note about cucumbers: If you can't get organic Persian cucumbers, use an English or other seedless cucumber. Peel it if it's not organic or if the skin is thick. You'll need about a cup and a half of chopped cucumber.