Testing - Creamed Brussels Sprouts Gratin

I ended up leaving it too long in the oven, so the cheese on top got a little over done, but the Brussels sprouts got all soft, which I typically don't like, but in this instance it went really well with the creaminess of the dish.

1/2 lb bacon

2 tbsps butter

2 1/2 lb brussels sprouts

1 minced small onion

2 cups cream

salt and pepper

6 oz grated Gruyere

1. Cook the bacon down in butter until it browned bits start to form on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the sprouts (when buying or harvesting sprouts, try to choose small, tight, dense heads, the smaller the better. If they're the size of a quarter, you can leave them whole. Anything bigger, cut in half or quarters.
3. So here, should I stir-fry the sprouts for about 5 minutes, or just enough to scrape up the browned bits of bacon at the bottom of the pan? Although it's ok if the sprouts brown, it's just not necessary since the bacon will be all the browning flavour you'll need.
4. Add the minced shallot, and stir until it's just softened and aromatic, about 1 minute. Turn down the heat and take the pan off the element to cool things down before adding the cream. This will prevent scalding the cream.
5. Add the cream to the cooled pan and reintroduce to the heat source. Scrape up all remaining browned bits. Bring it to a slow boil and then reduce the temperature for a slow simmer.
6. Allow the cream to slowly reduce to about half it's original volume, and the Brussels sprouts are softened. The loose cream will have turned into, well, a creamy sauce. Add the salt and pepper.
7. You could stop here, and serve immediately.
8. Or you could add a layer of Gruyère. At this stage you can opt to cover up the casserole and refrigerate it, to finish baking later.
9. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425F, adjusting the rack to the centre position, and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and spotted with brown.