This fresh and light salad will have everybody reaching for seconds. For variation, try some feta cheese for the goat cheese, and substitute roasted pine nuts for the almonds.

Ingredient :

• ice as needed

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

Vinaigrette:

• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• zest of 1/2 lemon

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 pinch sugar, or more to taste

Garnish:

• 2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

• ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions :

1. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water, and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add green beans, and blanch until just tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes (do not overcook). Drain green beans, and immediately add to ice bath to stop cooking; set aside.

3. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar together in a small bowl.

4. Drain green beans well and pat dry with a paper towel to avoid diluting the dressing. Place into a bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette, tossing gently to coat.

5. Transfer tossed green beans to a serving dish. Garnish with goat cheese and almonds.