Baby Carrots And Brussels Sprouts Glazed With Brown Sugar and Pepper

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Ingredients:
2 pounds baby carrots
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and scored
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Blanch carrots in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Transfer carrots to bowl of ice water using slotted spoon.

Return water to boil.

Add sprouts and blanch until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to another bowl of ice water.

Drain vegetables, and refrigerate if making ahead.
Bring stock, butter or margarine, and brown sugar to a boil in a heavy large skillet.

Stir until sugar dissolves.

Boil until reduced by half, about 7 minutes.

Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; return to boil before continuing.

Add carrots.

Cook until almost tender and sauce begins to coat, shaking pan occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and pepper.

Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

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How to Choose Brussels Sprouts

While some fear the strong taste of brussels sprouts, others embrace it. The peak season for brussels sprouts is from fall to early spring. Follow these steps to find the best of the bunch.

• 1. Use color as an indicator of freshness. Brussels sprouts should be bright green with leaves that look fresh.
• 2. Avoid sprouts with a strong smell or leaves with holes or blemishes.
• 3. Feel sprouts to make sure they are firm, tight and compact rather than puffy.
• 4. Make sure the stems are clean and not discolored.
• 5. Try to choose individual rather than prepackaged sprouts.
• 6. Store brussels sprouts in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three to four days.
  

Buy sprouts of equal size to ensure uniform cooking.

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

As a Belgian one often gets associated with 'a Brussels Sprout' ;-) As a child I always disliked the soggy green mess on my plate my mum used to call: sprouts. Needless to say that as an adult they never entered my plate agin. That is until I met my new partner who ... is a sprouts addict. (sigh)
Lucky for the relationship I came across this recipe by Heidi. And I feel confident saying this golden-crusted version has the ability to turn even the most vigilant brussels sprout haters around.



This is the only way to eat brussels sprouts: cut in half and cooked until deliciously tender inside and perfectly brown and crusted on the outside.
Use brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. You can finish these with many different types of cheese but I tend to go for Parmesan when the weather is good. I trade that in for heavier cheeses like gruyere or Gouda in colder weather. I finished them off with some toasted hazelnuts the other night - delicious!
24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice
Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don’t overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.
Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Please tell me your favorite recipe too!