Geoff’s Légumes Vapeur aux Amandes Grillées – Steam-Cooked Vegetables with Toasted Almond Flakes…

There’s something magical about vegetables cooked to absolute perfection—tender yet crisp, vibrant in colour, and bursting with natural flavour. This recipe transforms simple garden vegetables into an elegant side dish that rivals any restaurant preparation. The steam oven method ensures each vegetable maintains its ideal texture while the finishing touches of butter, fresh herbs, and toasted almonds create a sophisticated French-inspired accompaniment. The beauty lies in the precision and the ability to prepare everything ahead of time.

Geoff’s Légumes Vapeur aux Amandes Grillées – Steam-Cooked Vegetables with Toasted Almond Flakes…

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 6 people

Course: dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Calories: 282

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 500 gm baby carrots, trimmed
• 500 gm green beans, trimmed
• 300 gm broccolini, trimmed
• 80 gm unsalted butter
• 1 fresh bunch tarragon, finely chopped
• 60 gm almond flakes (flaked or slivered)
• 2-3 gm sea slat flakes and ground white pepper to taste
• 40 ml extra virgin olive oil

Herb Recommendations

• Tarragon: Classic with carrots, adds anise-like sweetness
• Thyme: Earthy complement to all vegetables
• Chervil: Delicate, parsley-like flavour for green beans
• Dill: Fresh, bright note especially good with broccolini
• Chives: Mild onion flavour that pairs beautifully with butter

Equipment

• 1 Combi Oven, Steam Oven, Sous Vide
• 1 Induction or gas stovetop

Method

 

Steam Oven (Primary method)

1. Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cooking Time: 25 minutes   Total Time: 40 minutes

   1.       Preparation: Set steam oven to 85°C on 100% steam setting. Season vegetables lightly with salt and white pepper.

   2.       Staging: Place vegetables on separate perforated steam trays or in steam-safe dishes. Dot carrots with half the butter and tarragon.

   3.       Cooking Sequence:

   4.       Start with carrots: 12 minutes

   5.       Add green beans: continue for 8 minutes

   6.       Add broccolini: continue for final 5 minutes

   7.       Total cooking time: 25 minutes

   8.       Finishing: Remove vegetables, toss immediately with remaining butter and fresh herbs while still hot. The residual heat will melt the butter perfectly.

Combi Oven Alternate

1. Set to 85°C with 80% humidity for an even gentler steam that preserves maximum texture and nutrients.

Sous Vide Method

1. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

   1.       Preparation: Preheat sous vide water bath to 85°C. Season vegetables lightly with salt and white pepper.

   2.       Bagging: Place baby carrots with half the tarragon and 20gm butter in one vacuum bag. Place green beans with remaining butter in another bag. Seal vegetables separately using vacuum sealer or water displacement method.

   3.       Cooking: Cook carrots for 45 minutes, green beans for 30 minutes. Add broccolini in a third bag for the final 15 minutes.

   4.       Finishing: Remove from bags, reserving any cooking juices.

   5.       Quickly sauté in a hot pan with reserved juices for 1-2 minutes to caramelise slightly.

Induction Method

1. Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cooking Time: 12 minutes    Total Time: 22 minutes

   1.       Heat a large induction-compatible pan over medium-high heat with olive oil.

   2.       Add carrots first, cook 4 minutes with tarragon.

   3.       Add green beans, cook 3 minutes.

   4.       Add broccolini, cook 2 minutes.

   5.       Finish with butter, salt, and pepper.

Gas stovetop Method

1. Prep Time: 10 minutes     Cooking Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes

   Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

   Blanch carrots for 3 minutes, add green beans for 2minutes, add broccolini for 1 minute.

   Drain and immediately plunge into ice water.

   Heat olive oil in large pan, sauté vegetables 2-3 minutes.

   Add butter, tarragon, and seasonings.

Toasted Almond Flakes

1. Toast almond flakes in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3minutes until golden and fragrant.

   Set aside and sprinkle over finished vegetables.

Notes

Chef’s Notes – Alternative Cooking Methods

1. I find the steam oven method produces the most consistently perfect results for this dish. The controlled environment gives you restaurant-quality vegetables every time, and the timing is much more forgiving than traditional methods.
2. If you don’t have a steam oven, the blanching method works beautifully too. The key is controlling your timing precisely – carrots need the longest cooking time due to their density, whilst broccolini needs the least.
3. When blanching, always prepare an ice bath beforehand to stop the cooking process immediately. This technique, called “shocking,” preserves the vibrant colours and prevents overcooking.
4. For the stovetop sauté method, I recommend using a large, heavy-bottomed pan to ensure even heat distribution.
5. The vegetables should still have a slight bite when finished.

  Make-Ahead Instructions:

1. Same Day: Vegetables can be steam cooked up to 4 hours ahead. Keep covered at room temperature and reheat gently in the steam oven at 60°C for 3-4 minutes before finishing with butter and herbs.
2. Next Day: Steam-cooked or blanched vegetables can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat quickly in butter just before serving, or use the steam oven’s reheat function.
3. Alternative Vegetable Suggestions
4. Asparagus: 3 minutes sous vide at 85°C
5. Sugar snap peas: 2 minutes sous vide at 85°C
6. Baby zucchini: 4 minutes sous vide at 85°C
7. Rainbow carrots: Same timing as baby carrots
8. French beans: Same timing as green beans

 

Serving Suggestions

1. This elegant vegetable medley pairs beautifully with roasted meats, grilled fish, or as part of a sophisticated vegetarian meal.
2. The French technique of “Haricots Verts Amandine” elevates simple vegetables into restaurant-quality fare that’s both nutritious and visually stunning.

Refrigerator Friendly Instructions (3-4 days)

1. Store cooked vegetables in sealed containers.
2. Reheat gently in butter or microwave on 50% power to prevent overcooking.

 Freezer Friendly Instructions (2-3 months)

1. Blanch vegetables until just tender, shock in ice water, drain thoroughly, and freeze in portions. Avoid freezing the finished dish with butter as it may separate. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before reheating.
2. Reheating from Frozen: Add frozen vegetables directly to hot butter in pan, cover and steam for 3-4 minutes until heated through.

Nutrition Facts – 6 servings

Amount Per Serving | Calories – 282 or Kilojoules – 1,180 | Total fat 20gm, Saturated fat – 8gm, Monounsaturated fat – 8gm, Polyunsaturated fat – 1gm, Trans fat 0gm | Cholesterol – 29mg | Sodium – 301mg | Potassium – 377mg | Total Carbohydrate – 15gm, Dietary Fibre 6gm, Sugars 7gm | Protein 7gm | Vitamin A 311%| Vitamin C 71% | Calcium 8%| Iron 11%.

*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie / 8370 Kilojoule diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie/kilojoule needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated.