This Sprout’s Got Game

What vegetable has evolved from universally maligned to uber trendy in one generation? The fragrantly beautiful Brussels Sprout, now undergoing a virtual renaissance, appearing on the country’s finest dining tables and convincing even the most diehard hater to at least try it. Roast, sauté, or caramelize, just don’t boil them into submission for more than 10 minutes, because that’s when the glucosinolates (sulfur compounds) kick in, along with a not so pleasant odor and bitter taste. Treat them right, and they have a natural, nutty sweetness that is nothing short of sensational. Early cooks knew the secret to cooking Brussels sprouts. In the 1747 Art of Cookery, Hannah Glass calls for chopping them and frying in a saucepan with a “good piece of butter and stirring for about five or six minutes.” A century later, British cookbook author Eliza Acton was given the credit for the first Brussels sprouts recipe in her Modern Cookery for Private Families, in which she advised on the Belgian mode of preparing and serving: “Boil them quickly from eight to ten minutes; drain them well, and serve them upon a rather thick round of toasted bread buttered on both sides. Send good melted butter to table with them.” Brussels sprouts were around long before either lady discovered them, however, cultivated in Italy in Roman times, and later on, in the 1500s, in Brussels, Belgium, where they were grown and eaten in large quantities. Coming to America in the 1800s, their popularity took a nosedive, as they were frequently cooked past all recognition, becoming the bane of children told to ‘eat their vegetables.’ They never would have guessed that by 2010, Brussels sprouts were showing up everywhere, prepared in every way imaginable, and often paired with perennially popular bacon or pork belly. Today, this long lived cruciferous is the new go-to side, boasting a healthy profile as a rich source of Vitamin C, folic acid and fiber, and an equally praiseworthy flavor profile. Steamed, blanched, sautéed, deep fried, roasted, caramelized, braised, or raw in salads, chefs have discovered they play well with not only bacon, but chestnuts, lemon, almonds, nutmeg, cream, garlic, ham and balsamic vinegar, just to name a few. In Denver, Table 6 fries them up with Parmesan, lemon, and truffle oil; Back Forty in NYC roasts them with dried cherry butter and shallot cream; at King’s Wine Bar in Minneapolis, they’re roasted with smoked almonds and served with fresh fettuccine; at RPM Italian in Chicago, the Brussels sprout salad is shredded and mixed with avocado and a tangy dressing, and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs; and at Marlowe in San Francisco, tangy, crispy Brussel sprout chips are made with lemon and sea salt. Attaining legendary status are David Chang’s Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Mint, a staple at Momofuku’s Ssam Bar. The sweet-and-salty vinaigrette, bolstered by fresh herbs and chiles, is a favorite; the key, according to Food and Wine, is to almost burn the sprouts for a charred flavor Deserving of a category all its own, according to every reviewer and blogger who’s tried them, are Molly Stevens’ Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts. The Fine Cooking editor and James Beard award-winning author published a recipe in her All About Braising cookbook in 2004, using 3 tablespoons of butter, a cup of heavy cream and half of a lemon, with Brussels sprouts, braised for 30 minutes. “Chop the Brussels sprouts into small pieces so they release their pungency; only then does the earthy sweet essence of these little gems emerge,” she writes. T. Susan Chang, cookbook author and food reviewer for The Boston Globe calls them “irresistible,” saying the sprouts remain sweet, nutty and un-cabbage like, despite the long braise; possibly due to the fat in the cream, the initial browning, the halving, or all three. Gillian at unfussyfare blog thinks of it as more magical: “It positively floats on the tongue…some sort of alchemy takes place between the Brussels sprouts and the cream when they simmer together for a long time, and both are better for it.” Bold and Beautiful – CROSS VALLEY FARMS™ shaved Brussels Sprouts