Chef Juliette
Suet Dumpling
Boulettes au suif, poached beside salt beef, turn equal weights of flour and finely chopped suet into tender, rich dumplings. Keep the beef liquor at a bare tremble and the old garnish works beautifully at home.
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Fèves au Beurre
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2144, Fèves au Beurre, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Fèves au Beurre turns one severe rule into silk: dry the peeled beans over fierce heat, then leave the fire before the butter enters, so it clings in a green-gold gloss instead of splitting.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
10 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Fèves au Beurre (broad beans finished with butter) teaches a rule that travels through the classical vegetable repertoire: loose water must leave before finishing fat arrives. Dry the beans over fierce heat, then monter au beurre, finish with butter, only after the pan leaves the fire. The beans should remain bright and tender beneath a butter-gold sheen. The one true thing is simple: heat dries the beans, but it must never fry the finishing butter.
The original entry assumed a vegetable station with blanched, peeled beans waiting impeccably drained and a fierce burner ready for service. It needed no saucier, stockpot, or salamander. At home, the honest equivalent is a saucepan for blanching, your fingers for slipping the skins, and one wide skillet that lets moisture escape. The hidden preparation is made explicit here, and the quantity is scaled to one pound of peeled beans, enough for four, while the original ratio of three ounces of butter per pound remains untouched. Large-batch shelling and holding beans for service are brigade scaffolding; fierce drying and the off-fire butter finish are the dish.
Keep the pan moving while the beans dry. The moment they stop sputtering and begin to hiss, take them off the burner before the first piece of butter goes in. That change in sound decides everything.
Fèves au beurre has no honest claim to a single province; its home is cuisine bourgeoise across northern and central France and the vegetable stations of Parisian classical kitchens. From household gardens it entered the codified repertoire as an entremets, a vegetable course in which exact handling carried more weight than added flavorings. The name can mislead: the beans are not fried in butter, but dried first and given their butter as a final liaison after the pan leaves the fire.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
broad beans (fava beans)
Quantity
About 2¾ cups (650 ml / 454 g) after peeling, from roughly 3 lb (1.36 kg) fresh beans in pods or 1¼ lb (570 g) frozen shelled beans
shelled if fresh, blanched, inner skins removed, drained thoroughly, and weighed after draining
cold unsalted butter
Quantity
6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g)
divided into 6 pieces
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) for blanching, plus up to ¼ teaspoon (1 ml / 1.5 g) for finishing
cold water (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g)
reserved only for rescuing split butter
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| broad beans (fava beans)shelled if fresh, blanched, inner skins removed, drained thoroughly, and weighed after draining | About 2¾ cups (650 ml / 454 g) after peeling, from roughly 3 lb (1.36 kg) fresh beans in pods or 1¼ lb (570 g) frozen shelled beans |
| cold unsalted butterdivided into 6 pieces | 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) |
| fine sea salt | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) for blanching, plus up to ¼ teaspoon (1 ml / 1.5 g) for finishing |
| cold water (optional)reserved only for rescuing split butter | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan
- •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan or skillet
- •Colander
- •Clean kitchen towels
- •Kitchen scale
Instructions
- 1
Blanch the beans
Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil and add the tablespoon of salt. Drop in the shelled broad beans and cook until the grey-green skins loosen and the beans inside are just tender without chalkiness, 2 to 4 minutes for fresh beans or 1 to 2 minutes for frozen. Bite one to judge it. The fierce pan work later dries and warms the beans; it does not replace proper cooking. Lift them immediately into very cold water to stop the cooking.
- 2
Peel and drain
Pinch a small opening in each loosened skin and press gently so the bright green bean slips free. Drain the peeled beans in a colander, then spread them in one layer over clean towels for at least 10 minutes. Pat the tops gently and weigh out 1 pound. They must be genuinely dry on the surface, because clinging water dilutes the butter and turns the finish milky.
The source ratio is exact: 3 ounces of butter for every pound of peeled, drained beans, or 18.75 percent butter by weight. Weigh the beans after peeling, not before. - 3
Dry over fierce heat
Heat a wide, dry sauté pan over high heat until properly hot. Add the beans with no fat and toss them continuously for 1 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan so every bean meets the hot surface. Fierce fire means rapid evaporation, not browning. The beans are ready when no moisture beads beneath them and their sound changes from a wet sputter to a dry, quiet hiss. If they begin to colour, lift the pan at once and keep tossing.
- 4
Monter au beurre
Move the pan completely off the burner and wait 15 seconds. Add 5 pieces of cold butter one at a time, tossing gently after each addition until the butter turns opaque, coats the beans, and gathers them in a butter-gold gloss. Add the final piece and toss again. The stored heat in the pan is enough; direct flame drives off the butter's water and leaves clear fat pooling around the beans. If that happens, ça se rattrape: tip everything immediately into a cool bowl, add the teaspoon of cold water and the final reserved piece of butter, then toss until the coating comes back together. Do not return it to the heat.
- 5
Serve at once
Taste a bean and add only as much finishing salt as it needs. Turn the Fèves au Beurre into a warm shallow serving dish, scraping every spoonful of mounted butter over them. Once finished, the beans should go directly to the table; holding or reheating risks splitting the coating. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Fresh broad beans are glorious in their season, but the pod yield varies and the shelling takes time. Outside that season, frozen shelled beans are the honest classical pantry choice; blanch them briefly and remove every tough inner skin.
- •The butter quantity will look lavish. It is correct. We don't apologize for butter, and spreads or fat substitutes cannot form the same soft emulsion.
- •Use a 12-inch pan for this quantity. A cramped pan traps moisture, so the beans simmer in their own water instead of drying quickly.
- •Older, starchier beans simply need longer in the blanching water. Cook them tender before peeling, then treat them exactly the same in the pan.
- •Serve beside roast chicken, lamb, ham, or a plain omelette. A dry white wine with brisk acidity is enough; the beans need no herb garnish and no further decoration.
Advance Preparation
- •The beans may be blanched, peeled, and dried up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate them covered between clean towels, then let them lose their chill for 15 minutes before the fierce-fire drying step.
- •Do not add the butter in advance. The mounted finish is the last act and must be served immediately; reheating encourages the butter to split and grease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 130g)
Calories
280 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
46 mg
Sodium
200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
22 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
9 g
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