Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday, surrounded with loved ones. I’m very thankful to have my family to come home to and cook with during the holidays. It’s really fulfilling to see everyone enjoy all of the yummy food.

Green bean casserole was never a tradition in our household, but I’ve always loved crunchy haricot vert. They are rich in Vitamins C and K, folate, potassium, and manganese. I learned this simple, delicious dish when I took a course at the French Culinary Institute several years ago. Normally, I don’t use salted butter, but my Mom bought this by accident and it actually worked well here. Of course, you can use unsalted butter and then adjust the salt level. The haricot vert are so beautifully glazed and the chopped nuts add a nice crunch. We’ll probably be making this again for Christmas! 🙂

Ingredients:
1 pound haricot vert
2 ounces amaretto
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salted sweet butter
2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted, peeled, and chopped or sliced almonds, toasted

Procedure:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is boiling, prepare an ice bath.
2. Add haricot vert to boiling water and cook for about one minute. Drain and add to ice bath.
3. Bring amaretto to a boil and season with pepper.
4. Add salted butter and cook until thoroughly combined.
5. Add blanched green beans until coated with sauce and just heated through.
6. Top with toasted nuts and serve immediately. Enjoy!