Brussels Sprouts

[David Ross]

Here are the Brussels Sprouts I did at Thanksgiving-with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Chestnuts.

I'm not a big fan of chestnuts, but I had a package in the freezer that was waiting to be included in some sort of holiday dish so they got put into the Brussels Sprouts.

A lot of people turn up their noses at the thought of eating an entire Brussels Sprout, so I cut them lengthwise into strips like you would for coleslaw. The result is strips of the vegetable along with some bigger pieces. Texturally that is more appealing to some people and it cuts down on having a big mouthful of what some think is an acidic vegetable.

I start by frying up bacon bits in a saute pan and then drain it, reserving all of the bacon grease. I then reheat some of the bacon grease in the same pan and add the sprouts and cook for just a few minutes until they wilt. Then I'll slog in some apple cider vinegar, then add in some chopped chestnuts and the pre-cooked bacon bits. I might add a bit of chicken stock if the mixture looks too dry, then season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.

This isn't going to be the stunning dish on the holiday table, but it's a fairly good take on Brussels Sprouts. Much better than boiling them whole and serving them plain like Mother used to do.

[MarketStEl]

Well, last night, after perusing the early posts on this thread again, I decided to try a variant on the basic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe.

I had bought some very young sprouts at the Reading Terminal Market the previous Saturday: there were almost no loose leaves to remove from these, and they were about half the size of the mature sprouts I usually see. So I just sliced off a little of the stem end and otherwise left them whole.

I then sauteed them in butter with crushed garlic, as philadining recommended, but did not remove the crushed garlic from the pan before drizzling Japanese mirin cooking seasoning over them. Then they went into the 400F oven for 10 minutes.

No bacon, but no matter -- they came out great, with a deep green hue, and IMO the mirin was just as effective a complement as the maple syrup would have been.

[Kim Shook]

We had them last night, cooked basically the way I usually do (taught to me by my English dad - Ted Fairhead). I lightly steamed them, cut them in half and sauteed. The only difference with last night's sprouts was that instead of butter, I used leftover bacon grease from some Benton's bacon that I had in the fridge. They were amazing!

BTW, Hi Sandy!! I haven't seen you on any of the threads that I frequent and it's really nice to 'run into' you!

[sparrowgrass]

I cut mine in half, steam til almost tender, then brown in butter or olive oil. I mix the cooked sprouts with about an equal amount of wild rice that I have cooked in chicken broth with celery and onions.

Something about that crunchy wild rice and the soft buttery sprouts--mmmmm.

[vice]

For one of my crazy multi-course Thanksgiving dinners, I used to do a full course of Brussels sprouts preparations.  Here is "Brussels Sprouts Four Ways"

Clockwise from the upper right hand corner, there is:  Sauteed with guanciale; gratineed with gruyere and bechamel; shaved raw and marinated in vinegar; and Brussels sprouts crème brûlée.

It was originally a whimsical "joke course" but proved to be very popular -- especially the Brussels sprouts crème brûlée.

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Well, Brussels sprouts' season is just about winding down, so I thought I'd try something different before the long wait for next fall. Yep, crème brûlée certainly qualifies as different.

Sam, how did you prepare your custard?