Dish of the Week: Bacon-Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Most Thanksgiving meals are an Atkins dieter's nightmare. (Not that anyone seems to still be on that diet.) Carb loaded upon carb combined with tryptophan to induce epic food comas. And the one veg that seems to end up on the table is the green bean casserole - a greyish brown goo with Campbell's cream of mushroom. That's where brussels sprouts come in and save the day.

The maligned vegetable of sitcoms, an overcooked sprout takes on a bitter flavor and an awful, mushy texture. When cooked poorly, it certainly deserves the moniker of "worst vegetable ever." But if not overcooked, sprouts are quite delicious. Case in point is this adapted recipe from Dan Barber of Blue Hill (known for their farm to table cuisine). The skillet method brings out more flavor, and the cooking time leaves a slightly crisp and tasty sprout. It is also worth noting that halving the sprouts plays a crucial role in keeping them from becoming bitter.

Shopping List
3-4 strips of bacon
2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a cast iron skillet until slightly browned, but not crisped. Remove strips to paper towels to drain.
2. Place sprouts cut side down on the bacon fat and cooking until the bottoms are crisped and browned. During this time, cut bacon into small pieces.
3. After sprouts are browned, drop bacon and garlic on top and place in the oven for four minutes.
4. Pull the sprouts from the oven and deglaze the pan with the vinegar, stirring until it is absorbed by the sprouts. Salt and pepper to taste.

For those who don't have a cast iron skillet, you can try the initial cooking in a regular skillet and transfer the sprouts to a baking dish. Or you can skip the pan altogether and roast them for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Small Bites
Just don't drop it
At a pre-Thanksgiving gathering I was at this weekend, none of the 20-somethings really knew how to carve the turkey. So we hacked at it the best we could. However, there are optimal ways to cut into the bird and maintain its juiciness. Washington Post has a helpful video with the dreamy Bryan Voltaggio of Volt showing folks how it's done.

Mixing fairy tales
The Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City will be unveiling a people-sized gingerbread house next Friday, November 28 to be on display until January 2. The house is eight feet tall, seven feet wide, and built completely from gingerbread. It plays residence to three stuffed bears, and is chock full of cute kiddie photo ops.

Tangy Penn Quarter
It looks like Tangysweet's partnership with pastry chef David Guas for hot chocolate wasn't their last. And it sure looks like the cupcake trend isn't over. Red Velvet Cupcakery will join a second Tangysweet in Penn Quarter with cupcake recipes from the pastry chef. While we might be over the cupcake trend, a little lemon cupcake à la mode might be in order. [via metrocurean]

Not the Queen song
Thomas Keller from French Laundry/Per Se will be on Nycci and David Nellis' radio show ("Dishing it Out", Sundays at 11 a.m.) on Federal News Radio (1500AM) to talk about his new sous vide cookbook, Under Pressure. Other guests will include Barbara Fairchild from Bon Appetit, and Karen Page/Andrew Dornenburg (former Washington Post wine writers and authors of What To Drink with What You Eat and the new The Flavor Bible.)