About a year ago, I had a roommate named Jesse. He and I would watch the Food Network sometimes. One of our favorite shows was called Good Eats, hosted by Alton Brown. Alton is a bit of a nerd (probably why I feel an affinity to him), but really knows his stuff, and makes the foods he talks about really interesting. I'd recommend watching --- it's kinda fun to see how cheesy goofy he can be.
One week, Alton did a show on brussels sprouts. I don't know that Jesse had ever had them before, but the first time I had sprouts was when I was living in Belgium. Kinda funny that I had to basically go to Brussels to find brussels sprouts. I liked the slightly bitter flavor they give, and enjoyed them in the many ways they cooked them. However, after Jesse made this recipe, and I tried it, I much preferred them this style. Jesse didn't find them that great, but I thought the flavors Alton had combined really brought out the good flavor brussels sprouts provide. I'd recommend at least trying them out if you are a decent vegetable eater. If you're picky about anything leafy that you put in your mouth, you might want to just go to McDonald's and get some Chicken McNuggets or something.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cheese
Alton Brown, Food Network
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, julienned (this just means long strips)
1 tsp salt
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 lb cooked brussels sprouts (see below for how to do those)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 oz blue cheese, crumbled
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Just a note: when I make this again, I'm going to have all my ingredients cut right before I make the dish. I thought I could chop them while I was cooking it, and it turned into a big rush to try and make everything work out right. It'd just be easier to have everything ready to go before you start making the dish.
Cook the bacon in a 10-inch sauté pan with straight sides until it's crispy and brown. Remove the bacon and most of the grease, leaving about 1 Tbsp of the fat in the pan. Turn the heat to low, and put the onions, cooking them until they're almost translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add the salt and the apple, and cook for another minute or so. Then add the cooked brussels sprouts, heavy cream, and mustard, and I basically simmered it for a minute or two, until everything was heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, bacon, and blue cheese --- serve right away.
in cooking the brussels sprouts, I prefer to steam them. I got a small stainless steel steamer that just slips into any size pan and fans out or in to fit the pan. I think I paid 4 bucks for it. It really helps when you're cooking vegetables--- I rarely boil vegetables anymore, I prefer steaming them. Anyway, I tried Alton's method for cooking these, and I ran out of water and started charring the bottom of the pan, so next time I'll steam them. I would clean and prepare the sprouts the same way though. His method:
1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Cut off the stems and remove any yellow outer leaves. Cut each brussels sprout in half from top to bottom. Place the brussels sprouts, water, and salt in a 3-4 quart saucier and cover. Place over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
I thoroughly enjoyed this dish--- combines some really good flavors for a unique taste. I think it would go really well with grilled steak or chicken as a good tasting vegetable side.
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