
These Yellow Wax beans are an Italian heirloom bean. Notice their slightly flattened shape? Any green or wax bean will work though.
serves 3 or 4

Ingredients
- 1 pound yellow wax beans (you may substitute green beans)
- 4 tablespoon mint, minced
- kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Prepare the beans by clipping the stem knob off each bean. Leave the other end intact if possible. I also prefer the beans left whole, but that is up to you. You may certainly cut them into any size lengths you like.
Toss the beans with 2 tablespoons chopped mint, the olive oil and salt and place them into a roasting dish. Try not to crowd the beans too much.
Roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes total. Stir the beans and turn the pan around once during cooking.
Sprinkle the hot beans with the vinegar. Garnish with the remaining mint. Serve hot or at room temperature.
I haven’t had this but, in my opinion, fruit soups are perfect for summer…
The one reason I would want to make this: I was just given a beautiful winter white soup terrine, and you know I“m all about the picture it would make. But could I then do a cherry shortcake or serve it warm with an angel food cakes. Or or maybe some chocolate ice cream or greek yogurt. I think there would be no problems finding places to ladle this soup. But, then again, the beauty of the cherry in it’s own little white bowl doesn’t really need anything else, does it?
you could do all of those things, but if you wanted to be classically french you would do honey or maybe pistachio madeleines. GREG
I have never had this combination of mint and cherries. I’ve been missing out, I see!
Greg, have you gone cherry picking in June? The best cherries ever, when you pick your own. Can’t get any fresher. Leona Valley has about 2 dozen orchards open for public pickin’s. Usually open sometime around Father’s Day is when they open. If no weather problems, the crops are consistently luscious.Some are organically grown at prices less than half than at the markets.
Most let you eat while you pick. How I look forward to cherry tummy distention –how often can one say that? ;^)
But alas, I can not. LOVE the cherry pic with the spoon.
I love this for so many reasons:
1. It is gorgeous
2. It does not involve pitting the cherries which is the bane of my baking existence
3. you can eat it with cake — what a great idea
I am still waiting for my pickled cherries…will you slap on the beret when you make them? Come one.
I have been experimenting with pickled cherries. I have not quite succeeded but am making progress. My next attempt will be in about 2 weeks when cherries peek here. It’s funny, it was quite easy to pickle the rhubarb, the tart nature took well to pickling, but sweet cherries require a bit more nuance and I can’t get the balance quite right yet. GREG
… this soupe de cerises has impeccable provenance! I wouldn’t mind having a spoonful of this sunny May day in a bowl. I love your suggestion to Eric for a re-imagined ‘cherry pie’.
Minty Cherry soup. I like that. It’s a nice and different way in using cherries rather than the chuncky pie filling version or in some type of syrup. I will have to give this a try.
You as a Francophile? Ya, I can see that.
This is fantastic! I love the idea of a cherry soup and so perfect with mint!
I’m going to have to try this. I love fat juicy cherries and generally just eat them raw out of a bowl, but I think this summer I’ll have to try not eating some right away so I can cook and bake with them!
Turning it into a pie filling? I have no idea why I automatically associate cooking cherries with just pie filling. Thanks for giving me a different idea on how to cook with cherries. Maybe there is a cherry week coming soon?
Eric
essentially it is cherry pie filling. A very sophisticated version. But if you keep it quite liquidy and soup-like and serve a honey madeleine alongside, you will have a wonderful new way to eat “cherry pie”. GREG
Once a franchophile always a franchophile!;) I also fantasize about living in the south of france, especially in the dead of winter! I hate when my dear friend Nate comes to dinner and talks about his actual childhood in the south of france, arggggh! Talk about green with envy!!!
The cherry soup is beautiful and thanks for giving the readers a warning on the evils of cornstarch, I once turned a beautiful mousse into finger jello with the aid of cornstarch. Yes, the mousse survived the ordeal!