Food Junta

A few weeks ago I made a vinaigrette with lemon juice instead of vinegar and some maple syrup as a sweetener, and I immediately fell in love with the combination.

Apparently, I am not the only one: Just a week later, I found myself at Back Forty – a terrific joint – eating brussels sprouts with lemon and maple syrup.

“Hey!,” I said to myself, you can do this. So I did.

Lemons, where have you been all my life? I can’t believe it has taken me this long to realize how terrific fresh citrus is. I’ve used fresh lemon or lime juice in plenty of recipes, but that vinaigrette just blew me away. I won’t try to quantify the magic of citrus, just take me at my word and try to use more of it.

I believe that the brussels sprouts at Back Forty were oven-roasted, but I decided to do mine on the stove top for no reason in particular. I was pleased with the result, but I’d like to try it in the oven at some point as well for comparison’s sake. The trick here is to caramelize the sprouts as much as possible without burning them

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Maple Syrup

Trim any excess stem from the brussels sprouts, halve them and remove any loose or brown leaves.

Steam them until they are fork tender. You basically want them to be done cooking at this point. This could take anywhere from five to ten minutes depending on the size of the sprouts and how you are steaming them. If you’ve got a steamer, great. If not, just put the sprouts in a covered sauce pan with about an inch of water and keep an eye on them to be sure all the water doesn’t boil off. Drain them when they’re done.

Over medium-high heat, coat a skillet (cast iron is great if you’ve got it) in a thin layer of olive oil or butter. Add sprouts, shake them to spread them out, and then leave them the hell alone. You want them to get a nice brown crust, and this won’t happen if you are constantly stirring or shaking. Give them a minute or two and then check on how the caramelizing is going.

Once the sprouts are brown, add in lemon juice and maple syrup. The ratio here is up to you, but I’d recommend 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and the juice of half a lemon for each pound. Now you can toss and stir to your heart’s delight, until the sauce thickens and becomes more of a glaze.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

Tags: brussels sprouts, lemon, maple syrup