The secret to this humble bean is to blanche it ahead of time and chill. When ready to serve, saute it quickly.
- 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, sliced
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. avocado oil
- 4 oz. shitake mushrooms, stems removed, and caps sliced
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/4-1/3 cup white wine
Melt the butter and avocado oil together, add the hazelnuts, mushrooms, and wine and heat through. Add the beans and cook for another minute, to heat through. The beans should still be tender-crisp and keeping its vibrant colour.
The wine to accompany this would be a perfectly chilled Pinot Gris.
Who said vegetables had to be boring? Not me!
Brussel Sprouts With A Special Butter
Now, let’s face it. Brussel Sprouts – you either LOVE them or you HATE them. Before you get carried away and dismiss this recipe….give it a trial run and I bet you use it at your Festive Table.
- 2 lbs. fresh Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and washed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 6 oz. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, coarsely diced and toasted
In a large saucepan with water, bring the brussel sprouts to the boil and cook until tender. Drain, cut in half and put 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and put all the sprouts on a medium heat to lightly brown.
In your blender add the butter, olive oil and hazelnuts and grind until smooth. Add the butter to the brussel sprouts and serve.
I bet you love them now. Really!
Hazelnut Martini
This only has three ingredients, but it is really tasty.
- 6 parts vanilla vodka
- 1 part Franjelico
- 1 part white Godiva liqueur
Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with crushed ice and shake until cold. Strain into chilled martini glasses that have been rimmed with Franjelico and crushed hazelnuts.
Besides being oh so good, it really is yummy.
Coffee “2” Martini
Okay, okay, I used the word martini a little loosely, but since I only deal with martinis, I couldn’t do it any other way. On a cool/cold evening, sitting in front of a fireplace with a blankie over your lap this is the drink of choice…
You will need
- 3 parts coffee vodka
- 1 part Frangelico
- 2 parts HOT coffee
Pour ingredients into a heat proof container and gently stir. Now pour into fancy coffee mugs and top with whipped cream and a finely chopped, roasted hazelnut.
Hmmmmm….maybe another one would take the chill off the night, especially at the lake/camping, as this is just plain comfort food. Well, at least the hazelnut counts as food, doesn’t it?
Enjoy!