Brussels Sprouts Hot and Cold

Jason Weiner with an

un-Monte's HamFrom the

moment Almond Restaurant opened 12 years ago in an old roadhouse in

Bridgehampton, it’s been a smash hit.

(It’s also been featured here before http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2011/06/roasted-asparagus-with-lardons-and.html). We quickly became regulars drawn by the

consistently great food that comes out of Chef Jason Weiner’s kitchen and the wonderful

front of the house atmosphere presided over Chef Weiner’s business partner, the

inimitable Eric Lemonides. These two

childhood friends have built their careers at some of America’s best

restaurants. Jason helped open San Francisco’s

Eric Lemonides in Paris...

last seen in St. Moritz.Aqua the same year that Eric became General Manager at Piemonte Ovest at the ripe old ages of 24. But they both came home to roost bringing with them Jason’s farm to table philosophy and Eric’s brilliant way with people. In 2001 they first opened Almond, now

at 1 Ocean Road in Bridgehampton (Tel: 631-537-5665) and in 2008 they took New York by storm with Almond NYC at 12 East 22nd St. (Tel: 212-228-7557).

If

Almond, named for Jason’s wife, had done nothing else, I would praise it to the

hilt for today’s lead dish: Can you in your wildest imagination

think of a Brussels Sprouts recipe so good that it could turn the darkest

Brussels Sprout hater into a devoted fan of the vegetable? Can you imagine a dish of Brussels Sprouts so

good that I actually saw Andrew eating the whole thing first—not even pausing

for a single bite of today's crisp bacon-stuffed Pork Chop topped with a Dijon

Mustard sauce.

Now, I have not reached

out to Jason to beg for the recipe. The

Chef is generosity personified. But I enjoy going into the kitchen and creating a version that comes pretty close to the

magnificent original that's a fixture on Almond’s seasonal appetizer

list. I have to believe I’ve come pretty

close. As

to the accompanying Pork Chop, it’s not as much an afterthought as

Andrew’s eating pattern would suggest.

Instead, it was born out of a desire for a stuffed pork chop that wasn’t

heavy with bread. The idea came from a

Gourmet recipe for an entire stuffed loin of pork. The sauce served with the

loin of pork was similar to this although mine is simpler. It’s a delicious companion to the main event:

those flawless sprouts – one side warm and caramelized with maple syrup, the

other tossed raw with a very expensive store-bought Caesar Dressing. This isn’t a hard dinner to put together and

oh so worthwhile. Here are the recipes

Recipe for Brussels Sprouts Hot and Cold

inspired by Jason Weiner of Almond Serves 2.

Prep 15 minutes. Cooks in 5 minutes.

Trim

the ends of all the sprouts, peeling away any bruised leaves. Divide the

Brussels Sprouts in half, reserving one half for the “cooked” side of the

dish. It is almost impossible to core a

Brussels Sprout. I

sliced mine about 1/8 inch thick, starting at the top and when I got to the

point in the sprout where the stem came into view, I stopped. Put

the sliced Brussels sprouts into a bowl.

Toss the salad with Caesar Dressing and set aside.

Bring

a saucepan of heavily salted water to a boil.

Cut the remaining Brussels Sprouts in half. Add them to the boiling water and parboil for

1 minute. Drain the sprouts.

In

a sauté pan large enough to hold the halved Brussels sprouts in one layer, melt

the butter over medium high heat. Add

the maple syrup to the melted butter. Then add the Brussels sprouts to the pan,

stirring often until they are lightly browned on their cut side, about 5

minutes.

4.

Make a platter with the Caesar dressed Sprouts at one end and

the

caramelized Sprouts at the other.

Drizzle a small amount of additional Caesar Dressing over the Caesar end

of the platter. Serve.

sauce.