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.

Steam to al dente, halve and saute in a little olive oil, a little sea salt and a scant dusting of cayenne!

+1

This is very close to what I do (I use butter instead of olive oil). Serve with good balsamic. Yummy!

the new found interest is great, brussel sprouts are much more readily available in usa than 40 years ago. the new interest is terrible, the prices have gone through the roof.....

They need to be grilled or roasted to taste good, but, when you do that, they are fantastic.

We roast them with just a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Unlike steaming or (gasp!) boiling, you can't really over do it with roasting, unless you let them get charred black.

For anyone that's in or traveling to Detroit soon, some of the best brussel sprouts i've had are in Michael Symon's restauran Roast in the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown detroit

I like them even with a little char as long as not overdone overall :D

I am going to grill some now.

Absolutely agreed - a little char (sometimes even more than a little) is perfect. That's why I'm so fond of roasting, you can't really overcook them. Although there is a point where they can get a bit too much char, but it's hard to get there.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P...-44-05_462.jpg

Last nights grill plated BS, didn't have time to get the fire going for for them to do it on the real grill.

I coated them with olive oil and lemon juice mix and then cooked, put a tiny drizzle of white balsamic on them for a hint of sweetness to go with the tart.

Hated these things growing up! But I have to admit after having them grilled at a restaurant in downtown Seattle several months ago, I began to appreciate them.

Ｉdig 'em, particularly with cranberries and caramelized walnuts. Lightly brushed with olive oil, that'll do the trick.

I'm a new fan! Love them roasted and grilled. If you are in Chicago, try the Sprout appetizer at RPM Italian. YUM!

That would be Brussel Sprout, not just plain old Sprouts, appetizer at RPM!

Currently have Brussels sprouts roasting in the oven with some other vegetables - for a church potluck. Sure beats a condensed soup casserole.:p

Unpalatable canned spinach or peas was the fault of preparation, not the vegetable itself, so I am trying to convince myself to give brussel sprouts another try.

Last time was many years ago, and it was the all-too-typical over-cooked, smothered in white sauce preparation. Nasty, sour little buggers, my memories are not fond.

We are staying in La Honda, CA right now - just down the road from where the brussel sprout fields are located. I've cooked them 2-3 times a week the whole time we've been here and they are so much better than those I had in my youth. Part of it is freshness and the other part is that the newer strains are much milder and sweeter.
Also, seeing the workers in the fields and the amount of labor involved in the harvest has given me a much greater appreciation for what it takes to produce them.

It is fun to pick the up still on the stem at roadside stands over near Half Moon Bay.

http://savethekales.files.wordpress....-sprouts1.jpeg

Far from the fields, I'm forced into an easy choice, the $5 stalks from HEB - far sparser in numbers of petit chou than your photo - or the big bags from Sam's which are still good enough to enjoy. As much as I like the "grilled" versions from the thread, I find them better overall if blanched quickly first, then dunked in an iced water bath. Along with sauteed and roasted, that's 3 methods head and shoulders above "berled'.

Me too would avoid them at all costs.

It wasn't till I started to go camping and a mate of mine boiled a pot of sprouts, carrot, onion and potato in one drained them then added a knob of butter and salt and pepper that I started to like them.
Only other way I can eat them is in a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey roast spuds and gravy.....along with cranberry sauce which sweetens the taste of the sprouts.

Must try the roasting of them and see if it makes them more enjoyable to eat.

Ah .... you know how to get a bloke going. Brussel porn.

Absolutely adore Brussel Sprouts .... but only after the first UK frosts have made them a touch sweeter. Obviously bought on the stalk/vine is best.

I'm afraid - if they're good - I like them steamed and just turned over in butter whilst still nice and al dente. Please don't boil them. Be kind to your Brassica Oleracea Var. Gemmifera.

Brussel s Sprouts are best when young and fresh, so I normally buy them in season at a local farmer's market.
Preheat oven to 375
Place sprouts in baking dish with about 1/4 cup of olive oil, possibly less. Place 4 or more cloves of garlic in baking dish. Toss sprouts, olive oil and garlic together. Add a little salt and pepper. Bake about 30 minutes, until you see them caramelizing.
I add a shot of Balsamic vinegar when I serve them.
Baking time will vary according to the size of the sprouts. I have had larger ones take up to 45 minutes.

Last weekend I cut them in half (fresh off stalk as well), and drizzled them with a bit of sunflower oil and vanilla balsamic. I roasted these about 60% of the way in the oven.

I then made a caramelized pecan mixture with dried cranberries, and a hint of lemon juice. I poured the caramelized pecans and cranberry mixture over the partially glory, and then stirred them in a bit, and finished them off with about 10 more minutes of roasting, and they were divine. I served them to a group and a good portion of the people had never liked brussels sprouts, only one didn't like and it was more because he likes them not sweet, which is understandable.

Sounds wonderful. ^ Will definitely give that a try. Thanks.

Use them as a snack
 

I use brussel sprouts as a healthy snack, steamed and seasoned or fried.

My favourite (eaten this very day ....) is steamed - with steamed and mashed potato, some sauteed onion with butter, a little salt and some nutmeg all mashed together and lightly baked. Always make double quantity and have some the following day. Sometimes used as a shepherds pie topping.

Shredded and sautéed in duck or bacon fat until charred. Then swirled with creme fraiche. Had them this way a couple of years ago at a small place in San Diego, and make them every chance I get.