It’s the holidays; calories just can’t be figured in at the moment (though I am no calorie-counter any time of the year… it’s just not for me- I’ve concluded I’m physically incapable!). 😉 That being said, adjust this to be “lighter” if you desire… but this dish is delish with the vanilla-pecan butter, so while I’m tempted to say “Sure, take it out if you want to!” I’m more tempted to say don’t… it’s too yummy to leave out in my little opinion. Plus, our bodies need healthy fats, which ghee and butter both are! (Of course, you’re reading this from a girl who just ate three Thanksgivings!)
This is modified from a Bobby Flay recipe that I found eons back (original recipe here). I made it for my boyfriend’s family’s Thanksgiving feast a few years ago; it was a big hit. They requested again this year, so here we have some Flay-inspired sprouts once again!
The Brussels Sprouts themselves are cooked quite simply… just a little olive oil (or ghee), salt, pepper and a quick 20 minute roasting gets them done. But it’s what they’re topped with that makes them so good… pomegranate syrup and a vanilla-pecan butter- delish! Flay’s recipe calls for pomegranate molasses, but that can be tough to find (so I made it from scratch last year using an Alton Brown recipe). After making it though, I decided I prefer a lighter more syrupy texture, rather than a thick molassesy one, so I’ve made a light pomegranate syrup for this recipe… if you find a molasses and prefer that, go ahead and use it 🙂
The pomegranate syrup takes a little while to cook- it’s super easy to make, but needs to simmer for a while, so start that first. It’ll take about 30-40 minutes to make, but you can cook the sprouts and do a few other things while it’s going down… just make sure to plan ahead a bit and read through the recipe before starting 🙂
Yumm, pomegranates are sooo good. No wonder why the juice is so expensive though… getting these little suckers out takes some time. My kitchen looked like a crime scene by the time I was done!
And zest… a strange addition it may seem (I was skeptical myself, but turns out it’s good).
Preferably a little lime and little orange, but if you can’t get your hands on both in time to cook,
having just one will work just fine- maybe the orange if you must choose 🙂
I’ve been told, and have read on Flay’s recipe reviews, that this recipe is
responsible for making many of Brussels Sprout haters turn into Brussels Sprout lovers… we shall see!
Serves approx. 6
INGREDIENTS
For roasting Brussels Sprouts…
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
For vanilla-pecan butter…
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped (will be toasted)
6 tablespoons ghee (or unsalted butter), softened
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
To top it all off…
1/4 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp pomegranate syrup (recipe follows)
Pomegranate drizzle/syrup…
(will make a little more than needed for this, but the leftovers are great on ice cream, over yogurt, etc.)
1 cup pomegranate juice (pure pomegranate juice)
1/8 cup sugar (coconut sugar works well, as does honey or pure maple syrup)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Start with the pom. syrup…
Pour 1 cup of pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat
Add lemon and sugar and let cook, stirring to help dissolve sugar
Once it gets to a light boil, reduce heat to low-medium (more on low side) and let do
it’s thing for about 30-40 minutes, simmering until slightly thickens into a syrupy texture
I prefer it on the lighter side, so I take it off the heat when it’s still pretty liquidy-
you can choose to keep cooking it until it’s more syrupy if you like…
Then pour your syrup into a jar or cup and set aside
Now for the Brussels Sprouts…
Cut off the bottoms (tough stemmy parts)
Then quarter sprouts- some outer leaves will fall off- no worries- you don’t need them
(Though I sometimes keep them for salads and such- I try not to waste good food!)
Cut off the bottoms (tough stemmy parts)
Then quarter sprouts- some outer leaves will fall off- no worries- you don’t need them
(Though I sometimes keep them for salads and such- I try not to waste good food!)
Once they’re cut, place in a large baking dish- so that they spread in one layer across bottom
Toss in melted ghee/olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees, until cooked and lightly golden
Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees, until cooked and lightly golden
Meanwhile, prep vanilla-pecan butter and pomegranate seeds…
Using a sharp (non-serrated) knife, cut a long slice down the center of the vanilla bean- don’t cut all the
way through, just enough to open up the bean
Then using the other side of your knife (the flat not sharp side),
scrape along the bean to get all of the seed and good stuff out
It’ll pile up in the knife like tar…
Then get that good stuff into a small bowl
Now get your pecans ready…
Roughly chop them up- chunky is good
Roughly chop them up- chunky is good
Place pecans in a small pan over medium-high heat to toast…
Once fragrant and lightly golden, they are done- only a few minutes is needed!
Once fragrant and lightly golden, they are done- only a few minutes is needed!
While pecans are toasting, add softened ghee or butter to the vanilla bean
Stir until smooth
Once pecans are done, add them to the butter
Some will melt since pecans are hot- that’s okay
Add salt and pepper
Stir well
Cover and refrigerate the butter until ready to use
To get pomegranate seeds out, cut the fruit in half and then remove seeds-
you won’t need the whole fruit- just about a quarter or so of a large one
About a quarter cup is good- or whatever you think looks good
(I’m a fan of eyeballing such things)
When Brussels Sprouts are done, remove from oven- always a good idea to test one!
Now get that yummy butter out… it will likely be solid by now… no biggie- it’s about to get all melty and delicious!
Scoop it into the Brussels Sprouts and stir into mix- this should be done when the Brussels and pan are still hot so it melts
Then drizzle pomegranate syrup over the top
Stir to mix well- you may want to add more, but I feel like 2 tbsp is usually just right
Now get that zest from the orange and lime… about 1/2 tsp total
Sprinkle it over the sprouts and stir…
Then sprinkle in the pomegranate seeds… again, use how many ever you think looks good!
Transfer to a serving dish and done!
You can eat hot or at room- temp… enjoy!! 
