Stovetop Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

Green beans

• 450 g green beans, ends removed, pods cut in half
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• Ice cubes

Mushroom base

• 340 g of mushrooms, washed (trim the stem ends if necessary), cut into 1 cm thick slices.
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (or pressed through a garlic press)
• 3 tbsp. premium flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sour cream

Shallots

• 4 cups rapeseed oil (canola)
• 1/4 cup premium flour
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Green beans:
   
   Pour 6 liters of water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. When the water boils, add salt, then add the green beans. Cook for 4 minutes.
2. Prepare an ice bath:
   
   Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and add a splash of cold water. Place a colander directly into the ice bath. This will save you the trouble of scraping the beans away from the ice cubes. Once the beans are cooked, remove them from the hot water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the colander in the ice bath.
3. Stir with a spoon to ensure all the green beans cool immediately. Drain and set the green beans aside.
4. Mushroom base:
   
   In a 25cm cast iron skillet, melt the butter and add the mushrooms. Season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper, and mustard. Stir and cook until the mushrooms release most of their liquid, 5-8 minutes. Whisk in the garlic and flour. Once all the flour is incorporated, add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Taste.
5. Add the cream and sour cream and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the sauce thickens, 12-15 minutes.
6. Pour oil into a medium frying pan. Heat to 175°C.
7. Shallots:
   
   In a medium bowl, combine the flour and cayenne pepper. Toss the shallot rings in the flour, toss to coat, and shake off any excess in a sieve. Test the oil for doneness by dropping in a shallot slice. The oil should begin to bubble and the shallots should gradually fry.
8. Prepare a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Drop a small amount of shallots into the oil and gently stir while the rings are frying. This will help them fry more evenly on all sides. When the onions are golden, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a kitchen towel to cool. Sprinkle with salt.
9. Casserole:
   
   Stir the green beans and some shallots into the mushroom mixture. Cook over low heat until the beans are tender when pierced with a knife, 10-15 minutes. When ready to serve, top with the remaining fried onions.