Monday, December 15, 2008

Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I kid you not.


Well, I had dinner the other night at Michael's Genuine Food and Drink, a fabulous restaurant in Miami's Design District--the Design District is the place I send people when they ask where they should eat in Miami. It's a funky neighborhood filled with fabulous design shops I cannot afford and beautiful people. Dressed from those fabulous shops.

I digress.

We were in the capable hands of Chef Michael Schwartz himself (he also hosted the farm-to-table Dinner in Paradise), and we let him recommend what to choose for the meal. I'll blog the whole meal shortly, but for now, I have to wax rhapsodic about the roasted Brussels sprouts. Frankly, I have not jumped on the sprout bandwagon these past few years. I know I was supposed to be rediscovering this lowly veg, but ...well, I wasn't sold.

And then these came out. Oven roasted with pancetta for tenderness and sweetness. The bitterness faded to barely a bite. Smoky from the roasting...yum. I thought: I've found my new favorite vegetable.

So tonight, getting home late, I decided I had to have roasted Brussels sprouts. I trimmed them, popped them into a 400 degree oven with some chopped bacon and walked away...for nearly an hour. (Actually, I forgot about them. I started checking email, writing a blog post...you know how you get lost online.)...I pulled them from the oven and they were perfect: perfectly seasoned, perfectly soft, perfectly sweet...Bacon goes a long way here, and maybe I was zealous (Chef Schwartz said not to be shy with the bacon...I took him at his word)...but really..these are gooo-00d.

The whole meal was about simple goodness--and for all I know, Schwartz gives his a touch of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon...I'll work on the flourishes some other time. For now, I got me a new favorite veggie. Roasted Brussels sprouts.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Barb, I'd love to have you visit anytime - you know that...just let me know when you're headed north. We'll leave a light on for ya, sweetie!

BTW, I'm kind of a food heathen, I know, but what is the fruit in your banner? I'm sorry, but it looks like something a surgeon removed from someone's nether regions...

Babette said...

That is a fresh fig...I guess it could be called voluptuous in the best way.

Hmm. Time to find a new photo for the banner?????

My Chutney Garden said...

Okay roasted brussel sprouts it is.
Goes to show why I should read you everyday - I'll just cook what you cook.:)

Chris said...

Pretty late response, but I just made this recipe for myself. Pretty amazing. Thanks!

I even posted it on my own blog.

Check it out (this links straight to the Brussel Sprouts): Just Another Weight Loss Blog