Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Blue Cheese and Bacon - Test 1

1 - I don't know where this recipe comes from, but I quite liked it. It makes a pretty small amount, so that Ben and I ate it all between us in one sitting, with the Chicken Baked in Cream, which was a good pairing, albeit a bit rich. I didn't follow the balsamic reduction part because I already had some store-bought stuff, and that worked fine. And I chopped some bacon ends into bits instead of cooking bacon and crumbling it. Oh, and I used Cambozola, so a slightly less sharp blue cheese, although I could see a sharper cheese would be nice. Oh, and I was too lazy to go get fresh thyme, but I'm looking forward to adding it next time. Oh, and there wasn't enough fat in the pan and the sprouts were burning instead of browning so I ended up adding some oil. (2025-02-21)

2 - I added fat to the pan for the browning and left it for the recommended time, and it burned. So I'm changing the instructions to reflect this. For the broth, it took about 1 cup to cook, uncovered.

3 - This worked well this time, the sprouts didn't burn and I used the whole time. I did set the stove to LOW in stead of MEDIUM HIGH. It may simply be a difference with my specific stove. What's important the browning.

Serves 2 

½ lb. Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half

2 strips of bacon, cut into bits (4 to 5 oz)

Olive oil

½ to 1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup (1oz) blue cheese crumbles or Cambozola cut into small cubes

Balsamic reduction (or ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, see step 4)

2 sprigs of thyme, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside.
2. In the hot oil, add brussels sprouts to pan, cut side down (easier to dump them in and then flip the ones that are the wrong side round). 
3. Cook on medium to low heat until the cut side browns. Add extra oil if there isn't enough bacon fat. This takes a few minutes, check for browning after 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Flip the Brussel sprouts and add the chicken stock. Cook, uncovered, until the stock has mostly reduced, adding extra as it cooks to prevent burning. This takes about 10-12 minutes. There should be a few Tbsps. of reduced broth when the sprouts are done.
5. If you don't have a balsamic reduction, you can make your own while the sprouts are cooking. Just cook the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until reduced by half, 6-8 minutes.
6. Toss together the cooked Brussel sprouts, bacon, blue cheese, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl.
7. Dish sprouts onto a plate, drizzle the balsamic reduction over the sprouts and serve.