There’s more than one method of preparing a Brussels sprout. This week, I made them four different ways: baked chips, sautéed, roasted and fried using the Jenn-Air 30″ Induction Cooktop and the 30″ Single Wall Oven with MultiMode® Convection System.
I’d like to start off by saying that I love Brussels sprouts. I grew up with a family that deemed it mandatory for everyone at the dinner table to eat ONE Brussels sprout during the holiday dinner. As everyone except for my grandfather was cringing as they ate their Brussels, I somehow found delight in these little mini cabbages as I saw them. My grandmother would prepare them with chopped peanuts and she roasted the Brussels sprout whole.
Here is the breakdown of each Brussels sprout cooking method:
BAKED BRUSSELS CHIPS
Pre-heat oven to 350. Fill your sink with about 5 inches of cold water. Take about a pound of fresh Brussels sprouts and cut the bottom root off of each one. This will allow for the leaves to start to separate and fall off, which is what you want. Take the biggest, whole medium/dark green outer leaves and add to the water. Gently agitate the water to shake any dirt from the Brussels sprout to the bottom of the sink. Remove all the leaves from the water and drain well. Pat dry lightly if needed. Once leaves are dry, toss them in a bowl with some oil of choice. Lay leaves on a baking sheet and try to not have any overlap. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning evenly over all the leaves. Bake for about 7-9 min looking for crispiness, not burned. Keep a close eye on them while they cook as burning the leaves can happen quickly. The Jenn Air wall oven has a nice feature that will allow you to set a timer to turn off or keep warm after cooking. This function will allow you to be in another room and not burn whatever is in your oven. Eat chips when crispy and enjoy.
SAUTÉED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Start with a package of fresh raw Brussels sprouts. Cut the root end off and then quarter the sprouts through the root. In a medium sauce pot, bring water to a boil and salt it so that it tastes like the ocean. Bring water to a boil and add the quartered sprouts. Once the water returns to a boil and the sprouts turn bright been, start timing for about 2 min. Get a bowl of ice water ready. Once the Brussels sprouts are no longer raw and are in a partial cooked state, quickly remove with a slotted spoon and put into the ice water. This will stop the cooking process. At this point the sprouts should have a crisp crunch to then and a bright green color to them. Drain the sprouts on a couple of paper towels for about 5 min, removing as much liquid as possible. Heat a pan up with oil of choice and add the drained sprouts cut side down. Once the sprouts are in the hot pan DO NOT touch them, leave them alone, let sprouts brown (about 2 minutes), then flip the to the other side. Season with salt and pepper. When both sides are golden brown, they are done. I added some dried cherries and toasted sunflower seeds in the sautéing process.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the root end of the whole fresh Brussels sprouts and then cut each sprout in half thru the root. In a bowl, toss the sprouts with oil of choice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and some red chili flakes. Spread the seasoned sprouts evenly on a baking sheet with the cut side up. Roast for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Although I have the oven set to convection bake, roasting happens when you bake a solid structure (meats or vegetables). I use the convection bake to keep even heat through the oven. Serve and enjoy.
FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
For frying I used the Jenn Air induction cooktop. This is nice because I am able to control and maintain a certain temperature with ease and I can save time on cleaning by putting paper towels underneath my pot for any splatters that may happen during the cooking process. Induction cooking uses magnets to heat up the surface. This means that the magnetic pan (stainless steel) is the only thing to heat up, and the paper towel won’t burn. Using the same prep as roasting, cut the root end of the fresh raw Brussels sprouts and cut in half through the root. In medium large sauce pot, heat about 4 inches of oil to 350 degrees. ***Caution*** The next step will cause your oil to fly out of the pot. When adding raw Brussels sprouts to hot oil, they with snap, crackle, and pop like rice krispies but on a slightly more dangerous scale. This popping happens for about 10 seconds. It takes about 2 min for the Brussels sprouts to be golden brown and done. FRY IN SMALL BATCHES. Once all have been fried, toss in a bowl with desired sauce and salt. I used Sweet Vidalia Onion Sirach Sauce by Big Green Egg. Serve and Enjoy.
Throughout my culinary experience I have had the opportunity to prepare all kinds of foods in various restaurants and environments. From these experience I am able to say that fried Brussels sprouts are the fan favorites.
