The Vegetable people love to hate….cooked my favorite way!
November 27, 2009 | 
Author Deviled Brussels sprouts
Old King Cole has a very large, old and diverse family. Of all its members, only the Brussels Sprout can elicit such an emotional reaction in people. Tight-head Copenhagen’s, Non-heading Collard Greens, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, BokChoy or even Kohlrabi, none come close to the reaction that one feels when they hear Brussels are “on the menu”. Either one loves them or hates them; there seems to be little middle ground. Each must make their own decision; eat or not to eat.
The ground I stand on is firmly in the camp of “Hell Yes! Bring Them On.”! I love the little green guys, all smelly when cooling and sublime when eaten. Usually, I just steam them, toss in melted butter and salt and serve. However, on special occasions, like Thanksgiving, I like to make my favorite: Deviled Brussels Sprouts.
Actually, it’s very simple and easy. Here are the ingredients:
½ to 2 lbs of Brussels Sprouts
One tsp. of butter
One cup of heavy cream
Two Tbls. of Grey Poupon Mustard
Salt and pepper to taste.
So, now, what to do? Rinse the Brussels in cold water and remove any leaves that are loose and falling off (BTW, if you have chickens, they love these, but they WILL fight over them)
After rinsing, they need a little bit of prep work. Take the Brussels and cut an “x” in the bottom of each one. I do this differently than most people do. I take the point of a paring knife and insert it straight into the stem of the sprout, like so:
Then rotate the knife 90°, and make the second cross cut, thus:
Now, steam the Brussels sprouts in a double boiling steamer. They will become bright green when done. Don’t overcook, when bright and tender to a knife poke, they are done.
This is what they look like when done, notice how “Bright Green” they are. Delicious!
As the sprouts are steaming, start the deviling sauce. It is very simple. Place one teaspoon of butter into a pan. When melted, add one cup of heavy cream and two Tbls. of Grey Poupon mustard. (Sometimes, when I am feeling even more daring and devilish than usual, I’ll use Coleman’s mustard. I will leave this decision to your discretion).
Whisk till smooth and thick. When thick, add the Brussels to the serving dish, and pour the deviling sauce over the sprouts and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
If you are a lover of the lowly sprout, I highly recommend trying this recipe. They are wonderful served deviled.
(Oh, hey, if you aren’t going to eat yours, I’ll take them. Put’em here…..where mine were!)
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You are so right; people either love Leprechaun Lettuce or they hate it; I think it just has to do with whether you grew up with it. I did. My mother loved (loves) the little suckers, and we had them often, in season.
Thanks for posting this. The wife is of the other persuasion — but it’s quite possible I can sneak them on to her plate one night, if she’s not looking, and doesn’t come in the kitchen to catch the “cooling funk”.
Growing up British they were the veg of choice (peas a close 2nd). My mother corrupted me as well. I love em! Great recipe Ed. The butter and cream will help me with the haters next time.
How do you get the sauce for the broccali sprouts to thicken? otherwise, it was delicious
Well, It the heavy cream should have thickened up with the addition of the mustard, as ground mustard seed (in the prepared mustard) has a sort of flour like thickening ability. Perhaps the cream wasn’t hot enough, and whisking after the addition of mustard helps the process, as both will thicken then. (when heating cream, be very careful not to get it too hot, as it has much less water than milk and will scald easily).
One way to make sure it works and thickens is to make a small roux first (1 tbls butter, 1 tbls flour) then add the cream to it, with about a tsp of more mustard. Dont over do it on the roux, as too much flour will cause it to get too thick as it heats. Stir constantly after the addition of the cream, and add mustard as it thickens.
BTW, this can be made with a regular bechamel sauce, then add mustard, if calories and cream is a concern. It wont be as rich, but then again, it wont be as fattening
Hope that helps