Haricot Verts with Feta, Cranberries & Pistachios {Cookbook Giveaway Week}

For today's Cookbook Week recipe, I'm sharing this Haricot Vert with Feta, Cranberries & Pistachios salad. Haricot vert is French for “green beans” and are longer and thinner than the American variety of green beans. I like to use these instead of regular green beans on occasion; however, the American green bean would also work just as well in this recipe. 

Blueberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Several years ago, we went snow tubing with the family of my youngest daughters pre-school friend. We met at our house since we lived closer to the resort and the mom brought us some dark chocolate bark laced with dried cranberries and pistachios. It was INCREDIBLE! So much so that I just had to get the recipe for my husband (who I now have to make this for once a year around the holidays as it's one of his favorite treats!).  It's really quite simple to make, don't let the number of steps fool you below. Melt the chocolate. Mix in the berries and nuts. Refrigerate. And in an hour (sometimes less if you spread the chocolate thinner!), you will have a sweet and salty dessert that everyone will rave about. Trust me. I decided to make this last minute to bring to a friends Christmas party (seriously, I made it and had it plated for the photo in less than an hour!) and everyone devoured it. You can break the pieces as small or as large as you wish. 

Blueberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark
12oz. Chocolate
8oz. White Chocolate
1 c. Dried Blueberries
1 c. Pistachios, shelled

Directions:
1. Melt the milk chocolate over a double boiler; stirring until all the chocolate has melted. 
2. In another pot, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler; stirring until all of the chocolate has melted.
3. Add half of the blueberries and pistachios to the milk chocolate and mix well. 
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the chocolate mixture  about 1/2" thick; then drop the white chocolate by spoonfuls over the milk chocolate. 
5. With the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolates together to create a marbled effect; then sprinkle the remaining blueberries and pistachios on top. 
6. Refrigerate bark for about 1 hour or until firm, then break it into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month. Makes approximately 2lbs. 

*Nutritional Information per Ounce (based on 2lbs): Calories 125, Carbs 16.4g, Fat 6.9g, Protein .9g, Fiber 1.2g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

*You can use dark, semi sweet or milk chocolate as your base depending on your personal preference. For this recipe, I used milk chocolate. 

Blueberry & Pistachio Brie en Croute

Brie is a pale yellow, creamy cheese with a white rind. For best flavor, it is best to buy it uncut in round wheels. I've said this before, but I don't like to eat the white rind as it has an earthy taste to it and also makes it harder to peel off when baking a brie like this one, so I opt to gently scrape it off. 

The white brie rind is mold formed from penicillium candidum or penicillium camemberti and is harmless, unless you are very allergic to mold. A brie's rind should feel firm and silky, not hard and crusty. Brie bought or sold in the U.S, including imported brie, is made with pasteurized milk and does not have quite the same taste as brie made the traditional way in France, thus it has a milder flavor. The rind protects brie from the air and delays drying and loss of flavor. If you remove the rind, you should eat the creamy center within a day or so.



I just love brie and my sister in-law usually leaves it whole and tops it with a delicious blueberry spread she found at a local market. I didn't want to drive 1/2 hour away to get some and I had some blueberries and a handful of pistachios and thought it might be nice baked instead. This brie was delicious and made a wonderful, flavorful appetizer. Simply serve it with crackers or fresh fruit.

Blueberry & Pistachio Brie en Croute
1 19oz. Brie
1/3 c. Pistachios, shelled
1 pt. Organic Blueberries (you can use regular or frozen, this is just what I happened to have)
1 tbsp. Honey
1 pkg. Crescent Roll Dough

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a mini chopper or a knife, finely chop your pistachio nuts. Add the nuts, blueberries and honey together in a bowl and mix well.  Using a small knife, scrape off the white coating on all sides of the Brie. Add the blueberry mixture to the top of the Brie. Open the crescent roll dough and using a rolling pin, roll it out so that it will cover the entire Brie. (It's ok if you have to piece it together). Cover Brie with the dough and place on a baking sheet with the seam side down. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers. Serves 10-12.

Enjoy!