Don't undercook the beans

I've told this story before but several recent meals suggest it may be a good idea to tell it again.

At lunch one summer afternoon, I was seated next to Jacques Pepin. Julia Child was at a table next to us.

"Well, thank goodness the beans are properly cooked," Jacques whispered in my ear after taking a bite. "Julia hates undercooked green beans."

On another afternoon, I prepared lunch for Jacques and a few friends on a small farm in Sebastopol. He took a bite of a bean, looked at me and smiled.

Green beans are not a vegetable that benefits from brief cooking. For their flavors to blossom, they must be cooked until they are on the far side of al dente. Anyone who tells you otherwise must be cooking with their heads and not their senses. A single bite will tell you when a bean is done, because that is when it tastes good.

I blame the tendency to undercook green beans on the canned beans most of us were served as children and are still served in certain types of restaurants. These beans are mushy and closer to gray than green. But it is the canning process that is responsible.

The correction isn't to cook beans briefly, though I understand the impulse. The real correction is to use locally grown fresh beans in season and then cook them long enough that they actually taste like green beans; when they are still crunchy they have little flavor.

That's all there is to it.

You can make this dish using any variety of fresh green bean but it is never better than when it is made with the Spanish Musica beans that Nancy Skall of Middleton Garden grows. I hesitate to even mention it because there are not that many of these beans, but I also can't resist sharing them. They are so much more delicious than any other bean I have tasted. You should also use the very best eggs you can find, as the difference in flavor between inexpensive supermarket eggs and the eggs from pampered backyard chickens is remarkable.

Green Beans with a Poached Egg and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

-- Warm Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

-- Kosher salt

1 pound green beans, preferably Romano or a similar variety, stem ends trimmed

4 large or jumbo eggs, preferably cage-free and organic

-- White wine vinegar

-- Black pepper in a mill

2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

-- Parmegiano-Reggiano, in one piece

First, make the vinaigrette and set it aside.

Fill a medium saucepan half full with water, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils; add the green beans and adjust the heat so that the beans simmer vigorously but the water does not boil over.

Cooking time will vary widely based on the variety of bean. Spanish Musica are beautifully tender in just 3 to 3? minutes. Other varieties maytake longer. A good test is to bite into a bean carefully; it should be tender but not mushy and certainly not crunchy. The al dente test, ideal for pasta, does not work with green beans. When the beans are ready, drain them in a strainer or colander but do not rinse them. Cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

Working quickly, prepare a saucepan for the eggs. The best pan will be 8 to 10 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches deep. Fill the pan about two-thirds full with water and add a scant teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a generous pinch or two of salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat so that the water simmers very gently.

Break an egg into a small bowl and then, holding the bowl close to the water, gently slip it into the pan. Add another egg and cook until the white of the egg has turned opaque, about 2 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to loosen it from the bottom of the pan and roll it over. Simmer 2 minutes more and use the slotted spoon to carefully transfer the eggs to a clean dry tea towel. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Divide the green beans among individual plates and top each serving with a poached egg. Spoon the warm vinaigrette over each serving and season with salt and several turns of black pepper. Scatter the parsley on top.

Use a vegetable peel to make curls of cheese, add 3 or 4 curls to each portion and serve immediately.

Variation: Fry 3 slices of bacon until crispy and drain on absorbent paper. Chop or crush the bacon into small pieces and scatter over the beans and eggs before adding the vinaigrette.

Warm Tomato Vinaigrette

Makes about 1? cups

2 small shallots, minced

-- Kosher salt

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

-- Black pepper in a mill

1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and minced

? cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Put the shallots in a small bowl, season with salt and add the vinegar. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the minced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil. Taste and add a little more olive oil if the mixture seems too tart.

Immediately before serving, warm the vinaigrette in a small saucepan set over low heat. Do not let it boil.

Look for burrata in markets such as Traverso's and supermarkets with good cheese sections, such as Oliver's, Pacific and Whole Foods. Be sure to look for the date on which the cheese was made; burrata is traditionally eaten within a day or two of production.

Green Beans with Burrata and Cherry Tomatoes in Vinaigrette

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 pint small cherry tomatoes, preferably mixed colors, rinsed and quartered

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons Vinaigre de Banyuls, sherry vinegar or Champagne vinegar

-- Kosher salt

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-- Black pepper in a mill

10 to 12 ounces very small green beans, trimmed

1 round of burrata, as fresh as possible

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded as thinly as possible

-- Whole basil leaves, for garnish

Put the cut cherry tomatoes into a bowl, add the garlic and vinegar, season with salt and toss gently but thoroughly. Add the olive oil, season with black pepper and set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan half full with water, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and simmer over medium heat until they are tender but not mushy; cooking time will vary depending on size, variety and age (green beans that have been sitting in the fridge for a few days require more time).

Drain the cooked beans in a colander or strainer, rinse quickly with cool water and transfer to serving plate or bowl. Add the tomatoes, all the juices and the shredded basil and toss gently.

Set the burrata on top and cut into it, so that the creamy insides begin to ooze out. Let rest 5 minutes.

Garnish with several turns of black pepper and the whole basil leaves and serve.

Michele Anna Jordan can be contacted via e-mail at michele@micheleannajordan.com.