Green beans with mustard crema

When I was looking through all the Summer Fest recipes last week, I came across a mention of another blog event called Magazine Mondays, organized by Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice (a very drool-inducing blog). It's simple - basically, every Monday, Ivonne compiles a list of blog posts featuring magazine recipes. I was really excited to find out about this - I subscribe to Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit, and while I love reading through the magazines every month and always flag interesting recipes, I rarely end up using them. Magazine Mondays might be just the motivation I need!

My entry this week is from the August 2010 issue of Cooking Light. This issue has a feature on recipes inspired by farmers' markets, which is right up my alley. This recipe was created by a chef in Boulder, CO, but it is perfect for the gorgeous green beans that I have been buying here in MA. It's simple, quick, and tasty, with subtle flavors that don't mask the fresh taste of the beans. I think this dish would be a nice accompaniment to almost anything.

I used sour cream instead of creme fraiche here, just based on what I could get at the store. I also increased the amounts of the thyme and almonds because I really like how they taste with beans. Next time, I might increase the amount of mustard as well - I would have liked the flavor to come out a bit more. I'd recommend tasting the dressing and adjusting to your preference.

Green beans with mustard crema
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010
Serves 6 according to the recipe, more like 12 in my opinion

3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tbs minced fresh chives
4 1/2 tbs creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbs whole-grain mustard
1.5 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 tbs toasted sliced almonds

Bring a pot of water to a boil with 2 tsp salt. Add beans and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately plunge beans into ice water, or run under cold water until beans are cool. Drain and pat dry.

Combine the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, chives, creme fraiche, mustard, thyme, and pepper in a large bowl, and mix with a whisk. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Add beans and toss. Top with toasted almonds.