The Affair of the Brussels Sprouts

Danjo really loves Brussels Sprouts. I don't, and since I do most of the cooking, he mostly does without. Every once in a while though, some happy coincidence occurs, wherein I find brussels sprouts sold like this at Trader Joe's:

And I also find an interesting recipe in Cooking Light's Christmas edition, and decide I want to try it. So when the cool stalk of brussels sprouts became available, I bought it. Aside from a bit of confusion about pancetta vs. prosciutto, the preparation of this dish was kind of fun. The brussels sprouts are kind of cute, as long as you aren't thinking of eating them. Boiling them made them turn bright green, and dunking them in ice water afterward made them stay that way. They are photogenic, don't you think, in spite of their inedibility?

The dunking in ice water was followed by slicing in half lengthwise and baking in the oven, and a few other steps. If you want the recipe, I'll loan you the magazine.

The dish was a moderate success. Danjo pronounced them cooked to perfect doneness, but was not entirely satisfied with the Cooking "Light" recipe, and added much butter. They looked good enough to try and I did try a bite, followed by fudge to get the taste out of my mouth. I'll stick to the cooking and photographing part, and leave the eating to those who can appreciate them.