Fried Brussels Sprouts with Caesar Dressing

One of my favorite things about the holiday food season is the abundance of brussels sprouts. Maybe it's because there is something about their greenness or look that suggests harvest time, or possibly it's just that they pair so well with bacon, but from Thanksgiving through to New Year's, I always expect to see sprouts in some form or another. 

One way I hardly ever encounter brussels sprouts though is fried. Sure, the leaves fry up nicely (as I've already reminded you), but I hardly ever see them fried whole. Why is that?

Their tiny cabbage-like structures mean that deep frying them results in crispy layers and a tender center, both crunchy and pleasantly al dente all in one bite. You could achieve a similar effect with a long roast at high heat, but the other advantage of frying is you can cook these in minutes. 

And then, you could eat them generously salted and call it a win, sure, but why do that when you can also add a creamy, tangy dressing and a snow shower of parmesan to round it all out?

I vote for this approach.

I've shown these tossed in the dressing, but you could certainly serve these as a finger food or with toothpicks, with the dressing as a dipping sauce on the side.

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Fried Brussels Sprouts with Caesar Dressing

• 1/2 recipe caper berry caesar dressing
• 1.5 lb brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise
• canola oil, for frying
• kosher salt
• parmesan, for garnish

1. Make dressing. 
2. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron pan. While oil is heating, pat brussels sprouts dry with paper towels. You want them as dry as possible before adding to the hot oil.
3. When oil reaches 350-375 degrees, fry brussels sprouts in batches, 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel lined baking sheet.
4. Toss brussels sprouts with the dressing in a large bowl, transfer to serving dish and garnish with grated parmesan, if desired.

Notes:

• If brussels sprouts are cooled when you are done frying all the batches, you can rewarm on a baking sheet in a hot oven for a few minutes to re-crisp before tossing with dressing.

Curry Coconut Caramel Corn

Well, it seems this year I'm all about the treats that can double as gifts!

First there were pomegranate caramels, and now this delectable caramel corn.

Though, I should forewarn anyone expecting a holiday gift from me this year, there will be none of this caramel corn. Sorry. I ate it all. Or rather, my coworkers ate it all. 

And thank goodness they did, because this stuff is addictive, and I may have demolished the entire batch on my own had I not saved myself. 

Rich, buttery caramel gets blended tossed with popped corn and huge flakes of coconut, and the curry powder and black pepper stirred into the caramel give the entire batch a slight spiciness and depth of flavor that had people trying to guess just exactly they were tasting. 

It went over so well that I'm sure this would make an easy, delicious gift for hosts of holiday parties, acquaintances, or friends, or as a snack served up with drinks at your own party. Whip up a batch, fill a jar or bag and tie it with a pretty ribbon, and voila, instant gift!

But if you want to be a grinch and keep it for yourself, I can't say I blame you.

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Curry Coconut Caramel Corn

Caramel corn method adapted from Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts

• 2 tbs canola oil
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (9 oz)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tbs baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup large coconut flakes

1. Assemble all ingredients. This will move quickly so have everything measured out and ready to go.
2. Make popcorn: heat oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 or 3 kernels to the oil, and when they pop, add the rest of the kernels. Cover, and cook, shaking the pot a bit to coat the kernels in oil, and continue shaking as the kernels pop so they move around and don't burn. Uncover slightly on occasion to let steam escape. When popping slows to one or two bursts every few seconds, remove from heat. Transfer popcorn to a large baking sheet, then wipe out the pot (don't wash it though, you want it greasy for when you mix the caramel in. Portion out 7 cups of popcorn and return to the pot. Save any extra for snacking (I didn't have any extra). Heat oven to 170 degrees, and place the pot of popcorn on a rack in the lower-middle position, to keep warm.
3. Make the curry caramel: Combine the water, corn syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a large pot over medium heat. Stir with a fork until bubbling, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and clip a candy thermometer or digital thermometer to the pot. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 345 degrees. 
4. While sugar mixture is cooking, grease the baking sheet. Place the salt, baking soda, curry powder and black pepper together into a small bowl. When the sugar mixture reaches 345 degrees, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the salt/baking soda/spice mixture.
5. Remove the warm popcorn from the oven toss with the coconut, and pour the caramel mixture over all, folding and tossing until all the kernels are well-coated. Spoon the mixture onto the greased baking sheet and pull the caramel coated popcorn and coconut apart and into small clusters. Let cool 45 minutes, until caramel shell is hard and crunchy. Transfer caramel corn to sealable containers and store up to 2 weeks, at room temperature, or more likely, eat by the fistful.

Mixed Duchess Potatoes

What is better than adding cream, eggs, and cheese to your mashed potatoes? 

Adding all of the above to two kinds of potatoes!

It's the holidays, why choose?

I have no idea why these are called Duchess potatoes, but right now they are reminding me of the only part of last week's news cycle that didn't make me want to go live under my duvet, so I'll go with it.

I'd definitely consider these potatoes worthy of the title, with their light, fluffy interiors and golden shells. The egg yolk, cream, and cheese give them a richness that doesn't overwhelm. They are special, but not too showy about it. And here, mixing white and sweet potatoes adds a nice flavor and texture variation and just enough extra work to claim this as a special occasion dish.

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Mixed Duchess Potatoes

Adapted from Geoffrey Zakarian

• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 tbs unsalted butter + more for baking dish
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• parsley, for garnish

1. In 2 large pots, add russet and sweet potatoes (separately, one potato type to each pot) with 1/2 tsp salt in each, and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes then press each type separately through a ricer or food mill and add back to the pots (still separate). Place pots back over low heat to dry out the potatoes a bit. 
3. Heat the cream and 4 tbs of the butter in a small sauce pan over med-low heat until cream is warm and butter is melted. Stir half of this mixture into each pot, then stir one egg yolk into each pot and season with salt and pepper. Stir half of the parmesan into each.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees and butter a baking dish (8x8 or a round pie dish will work). Melt remaining 2 tbs butter over low heat and set aside. Fill a piping bag (fitted with a star tip if desired) or a plastic, zip-top bag with a corner snipped off with the russet potato mixture and pipe into swirls into the dish. Fill the bag with the sweet potato mixture and repeat, filling in the gaps between the russet potato swirls. Brush the tops of the swirls with the melted butter, then bake 30-40 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve hot.