Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts, Bacon & Mustard

From Dish Paige!:

It took me a long time to drum up the courage to try Brussels sprouts – I was never really a fan of cabbage and so the idea of mini cabbages totally weirded me out. About 3 or 4 years ago I went to a family friend’s Thanksgiving, and since our host was avoiding carbs at the time, roasted Brussels sprouts were served as an extra side instead of mashed potatoes and I was (I think understandably) wary of the substitution. Being a polite guest, I carefully spooned 3 sprouts on to my plate, taking modest portions of everything else so my lack of Brussels sprouts would go unnoticed. With severe trepidation, I forked a mini cabbage, slowly brought it to my mouth, took a deep breath and then a teeny tiny bite. In an instant everything I thought I knew about my tastes, likes and dislikes flew out the window as I reveled in the totally unexpected deliciousness of this “new” vegetable. From then on, I couldn’t get enough of them. I totally geek out whenever I see them on the menu at a restaurant and make them all the time at home. While I usually just roast them with a healthy amount of olive oil, I wanted to get a little fancy this time. This recipe is super quick and easy and would make a great side for Thanksgiving since you can make it without using precious oven space. And full disclosure: I ate the leftovers (cold) for breakfast the next morning….yum!

Ingredients (serves 4):

2/3 cup walnuts
4 pieces thick-cut bacon
2 containers (10 oz each) Brussels sprouts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
ground black pepper

Directions:
If you’re making this for T-day, toast the walnuts in a pan on the stove top to avoid using the oven (keep an eye on them cause they’ll burn pretty fast!) Otherwise or ahead of your other preparations, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast until fragrant and lightly browned (about 10 minutes) and set aside.

Meanwhile, remove any tough outer leaves from the sprouts and thinly slice (to make this process really quick and easy, you can also use a food processor fitted with the shredding disc, but trim the ends before running them through the processor), and place in a large bowl. Just to make sure there isn’t any dirt or grit in the sprouts, fill the bowl with water and let the slices chill out in there – any dirt will sink to the bottom and then you can scoop out the cleaned Brussels sprouts with a slotted spoon.

While the Brussels sprouts are taking their bath, thinly slice the bacon into lardons and cook in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain on a paper towel and set aside. Spoon off some of the bacon fat, leaving about 1/2 a tablespoon, and add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the saute pan. Add the Brussels sprouts, seasoning with some fresh ground black pepper and cook, tossing occasionally until tender and beginning to brown (about 7-9 minutes). Be careful not to over cook the Brussels – that’s when they release the sulphur-y smell/taste that causes a lot of people to say “yuck, no way.”

Place the sprouts into a large bowl, add the walnuts (I crumbled them a little before adding) and most of the bacon, reserving some for the top.

Whisk together the lemon juice and Dijon mustard, pour over the sprouts and stir to combine. Serve topped with the reserved bacon and your main course of choice.

And for all you vegetarians out there – have no fear – just omit the bacon (or if you like substitute the fake kind) and use 1/2 a tablespoon butter along with the olive oil to saute the Brussels sprouts.

Recipe adapted from Whole Living.

Hot Chocolate Souffles…err…Cakes…um…Puddings?

From Dish Jodi:

So, for my first SLD post as a married lady, I felt compelled to do my favorite dinner party dessert. (I’ve been itching to have people over to try out all the new dishes, silverware and cookware…) These little treats are so ooey gooey, warm, rich and cozy, it’s a total crowd pleaser. Not quite cake, definitely not a soufflé, and sort of pudding-y. And no one knows how freakin’ easy they are. And there’s something about giving people individual ramekins that really blows their minds.

Mix and assemble these well before your guests arrive – hell, even before you’ve started dinner – put them aside, and toss them in the oven as plates start to empty. You’ll be so excited you just might….well, you’ll see…

(Apologies for the flash photography…the time change is really screwing with my Dishing.)

1 stick of butter
4 oz dark chocolate (note use of new scale…mmmm…)
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
(yup, that’s it.)

 

 

 

 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and butter four 1 cup ramekins.

Melt the dark chocolate and butter together til smooth. Let cool.

Whisk eggs, sugar and flour together. Whisk in chocolate mixture and when combined, divide among the buttered ramekins.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is puffed and starting to crack. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, whatever the heck you want.

The outside will be warm soft cake, the inside a gooey hot pudding. You will be so excited you will probably forget to take a “Final Product” picture…

OMG Appletinis!

From Dish Amelia:

Ok, well not Appletinis exactly, but much better. Last year I really thought I had appled out and would never want to see one again, but apparently I’ve come around. I had a pile of Honeycrisps from apple-picking a few weeks ago, and if you are not aware of this varietal, than you should know that it is a good eating apple, and by good, I mean that it is what every apple wishes it were. I am not a bartender, but I love thinking of cocktails like I think of food (such is the way in Brooklyn these days, la la la…) and this drink is lovely and you should make it. Or come over and I’ll make it.

2+ oz Honeycrisp Apple Vodka
1/2 oz Calvados (apple brandy)
2 Teaspoons lemon juice
2 tsp rosemary syrup
ice
Apple chip garnish/rosemary sprig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Vodka:

Wash and cut up 2 or 3 Honeycrisp apples into small pieces. They are often large. Put these in a large mason jar and pour in a 750 ml bottle of vodka of your choice. seal and keep in a dark place for at least 3 weeks, turning every day or two. When you want to start drinking it and quit rotating it, strain it through paper towels or cheesecloth and a strainer into a quart container. Throw out the apple pieces unless you are in college.

For the Rosemary Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
leaves from 5 or 6 rosemary sprigs
heat ingredients in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved and rosemary has lost its green color. Syrup should be slightly amber and taste like sweet rosemary. Cool.

For the Apple Chip Garnish:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. slice an apple on a mandolin so it is about an eighth of an inch thick or less. Slice all the way through, including the stem and seeds. Dip these thin slices in the rosemary syrup and lay flat on a silpat. Bake in a slow oven for a long time, (more than an hour) until completely dry and golden. When they are done they might still have some give, but take them out and they will immediately become brittle. They are fragile, so when they are totally cool, gently bend the silpat away from them to lift them off. If you really don’t want them to be golden, you can add crushed vitamin C to the syrup. I did not do this, since everything would be a pretty golden color anyway.

For the Cocktail Already:

Fill a shaker with ice. Add vodka, Calvados, lemon juice and rosemary syrup. cover and shake. Strain into awesome vintage wheelcut martini glass. Float apple chip and sprig on surface, and toast the big apple. Salud!