Braised Brussels Sprouts

It's pretty hard to beat plain old roasted brussels sprouts, with a sprinkle of salt (or Borsari!). They're easy...just pop 'em in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, and they come out so creamy on the inside and completely delicious.

But, this year I'm hosting Thanksgiving for the very first time. I'm pretty excited and am starting to test out some recipes for side dishes. So when I came across this recipe for brussels sprouts braised in heavy cream, with a splash of lemon, I knew I had to try it out. And believe me, it's a winner.




I didn't make any changes, so just follow the link over to Orangette. She waxes poetic about brussels sprouts for far longer than even I could manage...the actual recipe is quite a ways down the post. Oh, and not a big surprise, but her picture is way better than mine.

This may very well be even more delicious than roasted brussels sprouts, but I'm going to force myself not to make it very often as I absolutely couldn't control myself. I'm embarrassed to admit that I ate about 3/4 of this by myself. I was actually glad my kids didn't like it so I could eat theirs. I made this less than a week ago and I can't even remember what else I served for dinner that night; I pretty much just ate tons of brussels sprouts! So good, and on special occasions like Thanksgiving, I'm totally willing to go there and eat sprouts swimming in a whole cup of heavy cream!

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If anyone has any recipe suggestions for Thanksgiving side dishes, I'd love to hear it (bonus points if they use ingredients I can find locally!)

Perfect Pork Tenderloin

Those of you who check in regularly have heard me wax poetic about the pastured pork we've been buying from Holiday Brook Farm. We've tried a number of cuts and have loved them all. So when I stumbled upon this recipe for Peach Chipotle Pork Tenderloin over at In Our Grandmothers' Kitchen, I knew I had to try that recipe with their tenderloin.

As I suspected, it was outstanding! I actually made a couple batches of the peach chipotle sauce. The first I made according to the directions (that batch is in the freezer). The second time I used a generous Tablespoon of dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup or so of grade B maple syrup (also from Holiday Brook Farm). That's the batch I used to make the pork tenderloin.

As you can see, I let it carmelize into delectable treat for the senses (okay, maybe not sight, but my sense of smell, taste and touch more than made up for that). This one's a keeper for sure!

I served this with a side of fresh brussel sprouts from our CSA, which were roasted in a touch of extra virgin olive oil and Borsari seasoning. Last, but not least, one of the last, fresh, local ears of corn of the season.

Bon Appetit!