A few years ago, my mother, sister, L. and I stopped for snacks and drinks at a little hole in the wall place on the Lower East Side. The restaurant that we wanted to go to was unexpectedly closed and this place, while unknown, was caddy corner to it. It was cold and we decided to give it a shot despite our misgivings. One of the munchies that we ordered was pretty much as described in the title to this recipe, and it was delectable. So much so that I have been trying to recreate it since then.
Tonight came pretty close so I have transcribed the recipe below. I served it as an appetizer course, but you could also serve individual portions along with cocktails. Get the creamiest blue cheese that you can find. You will thank me.
L. has lived through many iterations of this dish. Tonight he happily plowed his way through a bowlful, nodding approvingly. When asked what was missing (and I meant from my dish as compared to the original), the response was "bacon". The kid may be on to something...
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 shallots, peeled, halved, and sliced lengthwise into batons
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Prep the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the ends and halving them. The outer leaves should fall off, discard those. Keep the smallest Brussels sprouts whole so that they cook at the same rate as the halved ones.
Place the Brussels sprouts halves, cut side down, in your largest skillet. Squeeze them in to get them to fit in one layer. Scatter the shallot batons and the dried cranberries over the surface of the Brussels spouts. Salt lightly
Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove the cover. If the water is nearly gone, add a couple of tablespoons more, cover again, and cook the Brussels sprouts for 2 more minutes.
Remove the cover and finish cooking, this time shaking the pan and turning the Brussels sprouts this way and that for an additional minute or so, until the remaining water is gone. By doing this, you should end up with Brussels sprouts that are cooked, but still have a tiny bit of bite to them. If you like yours very soft, you may wish to cook them a bit longer.
Turn the heat off under the pan. Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle it over the surface of the Brussels sprouts. Cover again and leave for one minute to melt slightly in the residual heat.
Taste to see if the dish needs additional salt. Tip into your serving dish and drizzle with the Balsamic. Serve and prepare to be embarrassed by how many Brussels sprouts you can actually eat.
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