Finger Food

Ingredients

• 1 (2 oz.) bag sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/2 pound green beans
• 12 or 13 small carrots
• About 2 Tbsp. cream cheese, slightly softened

Preparation

1. Pick over almonds, selecting only whole, fingernail-shape pieces; set aside. (Reserve broken pieces for another use.)
2. Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim ends of beans and blanch for 15 to 20 seconds, until they turn bright green. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to ice water. When cool, remove, pat dry and set aside.
3. Peel carrots and halve lengthwise. Trim wider ends to roughly match length of beans. (Recipe can be prepared to this point up to 1 day ahead; wrap vegetables in damp paper towels and refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag.)
4. Affix an almond "fingernail" to pointed ends of carrots and beans using a dab of cream cheese. Arrange in bunches of 5 "fingers" on a large platter. Serve with a bowl of sea salt or blue-cheese dip (see "Stake-in-the-Heart Salad With Blue-Cheese Goo," below).