Brussels Sprouts' Renaissance
 

About a year ago, I was surprised to see grilled Brussels sprouts as an appetizer at a local restaurant - they were really outstanding!

Here's more -

http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo...alive-bay-area

"November is peak harvest season from Half Moon Bay to Watsonville, and the sprouts are in high demand. A remarkable transformation has occurred on this stretch of coast, considered ground zero for U.S. production of the vegetable: The sulfurous orbs that were once the bane of children's dinner plates have evolved into a prized fall treat.

The value of the local crop has skyrocketed in the past decade based in part, growers and distributors say, on a steady rise in the appetite for fresh Brussels sprouts. The pungent little cabbage is riding a wave of popularity thanks to culinary creativity, changing consumer habits and scientific research."

Brussels Sprouts' Renaissance
 

I love well seasoned sprouts! I hope they start showing up on menus the works over!

I too like them, grilled with some aged balsamic, hard to beat.

I even like them broiled with parm cheese and garlic melted over them :)

Once I was introduced to fresh brussel sprouts I fell in love. The problem for most people is that, like me, in their mind brussel sprouts are those nasty bitter ones that came out of the freezer section of the grocery store.

Count me as a naysayer - just can't get them down, science or not

Trim, halve and blanch quickly (followed by a icy bath) a couple of pounds of fresh sprouts.

Dice and cook till crisp 3 or 4 slices of thick good bacon.

Saute the sprouts in a little of the bacon grease and some butter, until the flat sides begin to brown, but "taste test" shows them to be modestly "al dente".

Season with a very little salt and coarse ground black pepper, top with bacon, and serve.

I like a wedge of lemon to squeeze, but then I put lemon on most veggies.

They can be quite awful, but properly roasted with just a touch of soy sauce - delicious! Or try making a brussel sprout hash with a bit of onion and bacon.

I, too, remember how vile brussels sprouts can be when boiled into a grey mush. However, after having a vegan friend of mine proffer me with roasted sprouts a decade or so ago, I have become a huge fan. Generally, I like to halve them, sprinkle them with olive oil and sea salt, and then roast them for 10-15 minutes. They come out lightly caramelized, but still lightly crunchy and nutty in flavour.

It turns out that most of the veggies I disliked were just cooked wrong, save for broccoli, which is unspeakably vile.

The brussel sprout renaissance can be linked directly to bacon.

We've started eating them just this year. We had a great dish in a restaurant that inspired us to begin making them at home. Brussel sprouts are clearly currently trendy.

I keep wondering, why can't fennel become trendy. I had grilled fennel at some mom and pop place Italy where you get whatever they're serving for the day and it was amazing.

Brussel sprouts. sigh

If you are cooking broccoli, you are doing it wrong!

Cooked, uncooked, covered in cheese, doesn't matter. Still vile.

Fennel has been trendy in SF and NY for a few years now, as have brussels sprouts. I suspect fennel will grow in popularity elsewhere just as brussels sprouts have. They are both great vegetables as long as they are cooked properly.

I noticed Trader Joe's has been carrying brussel sprouts quite a bit lately. I've been considering getting some and trying one of Alton Brown's recipes from Good Eats.

Also, I love fennel and have for years. Fennel bulbs, fennel fronds used like dill, fennel seeds, etc. But I like just about anything, including liqueurs, that has that fennel / anise / licorice type flavor.