Christmas Feasting | Brussels Sprouts and Arugula Salad

When a beautiful piece of tenderloin is the focal point of your Christmas feast, little else is needed. But we did anyway. It was Christmas, after all.  Before sitting down to this scrumptious feast, we had a wonderful variety of cheeses and spreads . . . and plenty of wine.

Then, in addition to the perfectly cooked beef, we had roasted broccoli, new potatoes, corn casserole and a Brussels sprouts and arugula salad. I forgot to take a picture of the oh-so-perfectly rich triple chocolate cheesecake.

My sister's annual fete for the five siblings in our family, appropriately dubbed "Sibling Christmas," was just a perfect blend of foods  -- color, texture, variety. Casually elegant. It's become a favorite new tradition among us.

Lynn is a most gracious hostess, the kind that can not only create a great meal but makes you feel both comfortable and special at the same time. She carefully plans menus and just may be the only person I know who keeps as many, and as much a variety of, cooking resources as I do. Many of the recipes I write about here have come from her testing; and I trust her instincts implicitly.

I was surprised, then, to learn that she doesn't really care for Brussels sprouts. Kale? Yes. Broccoli? Definitely. All kinds of vegetables. Just not Brussels sprouts.

So when I volunteered to bring a Brussels sprouts and arugula salad to our family dinner, she was elated. She was going to roast some sprouts herself because she knew so many of us liked them, but grateful that someone else was taking over the "B" sprouts.

And she further surprised me by saying afterwards that she really liked the salad. I also learned that she doesn't really like raw tomatoes. No wonder she gets along well with Mr. Rosemary!

Lynn had asked me to bring a salad and I went through my files looking for just the right one. That meant magazines, cookbooks, clippings, hand copied index cards and the internet. After all that searching, nothing was quite right. So I pulled pieces together from Food 52, Williams Sonoma, Giada DeLaurentis and Family Day. And the salad I came up with is below. It's a repeat.

Brussels Sprouts and Arugula Salad
with Dijon-Maple Vinaigrette
Food 52, Williams Sonoma, Giada DeLaurentis and Family Day
Serves about 6-8

For the dressing:

• 2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 almond oil
• Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced fine
• 3 cups of arugula
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Mix the mustard, maple syrup and vinegar.  Slowly add the oil, whisking until it emulsifies. Season with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt as you like.

Just Crazy Good Brussels Sprouts

I'm really impressed with the PR firm Brussels sprouts hired.   Once upon a time, Brussels sprouts were on the very lowest rung of veggies to celebrate   From little kids to wizened curmudgeons, all noses were turned up against them.   

Now they've earned their rightful place as a star ingredient in the cook's repertoire.  Look at all the places they're sprouting up  - - here and here and here.

I haven't always loved sprouts.  Growing up, all I recall were mushy balls of green stuff that didn't smell too appetizing.  It wasn't until I cooked them fresh did I fall in love with them.  These days (and I'm lucky Mr. Rosemary agrees with me) they show up on our plates at least every other week.  

  

And I often choose to bring them to family gatherings.  I was a little nervous the first time I did, because (of course) I ever heard anyone crave them the way they do Liz's sweet potatoes.   One Easter, I brought a creamy gratin of sprouts and -- much to my surprise -- learned that there were lots of sprouts lovers.  Then again, what's not to love about cheese and cream?

Then last Christmas time, I volunteered to take this sprouts dish to my sister's house.  Once again, rave reviews!  Who's going to argue with that!

I found this recipe from blogger Emily at Five and Spice, whose over-the-top description made me want to run to the store, then the kitchen and whip these babies up.  They are very, very easy and very, very tasty.  Just a little caramelizing from the molasses makes them look like little pieces of mahogany and taste like nutty candy.

I often roast the sprouts, but I think I've been convinced that this is my new preferred way to cook them. Crazy.

Aren't you glad Brussels sprouts have come out of the closet?

Crazy Good Brussels Sprouts

From Five and Spice

1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

1 ½ tablespoons molasses

In a very large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium high heat until butter is bubbling.  Add sprouts, cut side down.  Leave alone to cook – without any stirring – for several minutes until the cut undersides get a brown crust.  Then, quickly flip them all over.  Sprinkle with salt, add garlic and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. Add the molasses and two tablespoons of water.  Turn heat down to medium and cook stirring frequently to coat all sides.  Cook for a few more minutes or until tender to your taste.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for . . . Brussels Sprouts! "Screaming Heads": A Recipe for a Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Brussels sprouts must be like cilantro: People either love ‘em or hate ‘em. Me? I was somewhere in between until I started cooking them myself. We had them at home often growing up, but they were in the frozen boxes and seemed a little mushy to me; maybe we just cooked them too long, or with too much water. A little bacon and butter easily cured that problem, though. (My sister loved the “baby cabbage heads,” but she also liked the canned LaChoy Chinese dinners we had back then, too, the only kind of Chinese food we had available to us in ancient times. After that experience, I was awestruck by what a real bean sprout looked – and tasted – like.)

But when I cooked fresh Brussels sprouts, I was hooked, too. They’re much more readily available these days and even though they’re billed as a “winter vegetable” you can get them year round. I snap them up every time I see them. They’re very easy to cook – steamed, microwaved, or roasted. They can be bitter, but if you trim them and cut an X through the bottom before cooking, you’ll reduce those chances.

And they’re very low in calories -- under 10 per head – high in fiber and all kinds of other good things. I did try growing them last year in my own vegetable garden and they were very good – just didn’t really yield enough to make it worthwhile to repeat. Best just to buy at Davey’s Fruit & Vegetable stand.

But they’re not a very healthy food in this recipe. If there was a Richter scale for rich, creamy, cheesy dishes, this would shake you off the charts. It almost, but not quite, covers the unique flavor and texture of the sprouts. Aside from roasting* this is my favorite way to prepare Brussels sprouts. Reserved for special, indulgent occasions only!

Ready for the calorie truck?

Screaming Heads: Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Adapted from The Cookworks, 2003

2 pounds Brussels sprouts

4 ounces prosciutto, julienned

2 T unsalted butter

1 recipe, Roasted Garlic**

3 T all purpose flour

 ½ C heavy cream

1 C half-and-half

¼ cup sherry

1 C finely grated Parmesan, plus ½ cup

1 t freshly grated nutmeg

1 t kosher salt

½ t freshly grated black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Brussels sprouts: Trim the stem to make it flush. Quarter each sprout and score the stem on each quarter with a ¼ inch deep “X.”

Score the prosciutto in the butter and stir continuously for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and Brussels sprouts and continue stirring 2 minutes. Add the cream, half-and-half and the sherry. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then reduce the heat and continue simmering for 7 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. Stir in 1 cup of the Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole and cover with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes.

Roasted Garlic

1 garlic head

½ teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut of papery tip of the head, exposing top of each garlic clove. Brush the exposed garlic with olive oil.  Place the garlic, root side down on a piece of foil. Bundle the garlic with the foil, leaving a small vent o top. Roast the garlic for 45 minutes or until the cloves turn beige and are fork tender. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.  Squeeze the garlic head upside down over a small bowl and the cloves will pop out. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

* I bet that the recipe would be definitely simpler and at least as tasty – if not better – if you roasted the Brussels sprouts – as pictured above -- separately, then made the sauce and then baked them together.