Restaurant-style Brussels Sprouts with Blackberry Gastrique
These Restaurant-Style Brussels Sprouts with Blackberry Gastrique are a culinary delight that will elevate your vegetable game. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and finished with a luscious sweet and sour blackberry gastrique, this dish is a delicious blend of textures and flavors that's sure to impress.
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
Blackberry gastrique
- 2 cups blackberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup red wine vingar
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 large shallot minced
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1/4 cup dry red wine such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon
- salt and pepper to taste
Restaurant-style Brussels sprouts
- 28 oz Brussels sprouts stem removed and halved
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup vegan feta cheese
- 1/4 cup crushed pistachios
Top with
- vegan feta cheese
- crushed pistachios
- blackberries
- blackberry gastrique
Instructions
Blackberry Gastrique
- Blend the blackberries and pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
- In a small pot bring the sugar and water to a simmer over medium heat for about 5 - 10 minutes until reduced to a caramel colored syrup. Carefully add the red wine vinegar and stir until completely mixed. Remove the syrup from the pot and rinse the pot.
- In the same pot, melt the vegan butter over medium heat, add the minced shallot and cook, stirring often until just golden. about 2 - 3 minutes. Add the wine and sprigs of thyme, and cook uncovered until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes (don't let the pan cook dry!).
- Remove the sprigs of thyme, add the blackberry puree, and cook uncovered for about 6 minutes while regularly stirring with a spatula to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom. The sauce should be reduced by half. Add the sugar and vinegar mix to the pot and then add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Brussels spouts
- Bring a lightly salted pot of water to a boil and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Tim and halve the Brussels sprouts, removing any damaged leaves.
- Once the water has come to a rolling boil, add the Brussels sprouts and blanch for 3 - 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process.
- Drain well before transferring the Brussels sprouts to a large bowl and tossing with 3 tbsp of olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Use 1 tbsp of olive oil to coat the baking sheet.
- Put the Brussels sprouts with the flat side down on the baking sheet, making sure the sprouts some space to breathe and brown evenly. Optionally, you can put the loose extra leaves that fell off during the cooking process in another pan and roasted them separately for about 15 mins so the halved brussels sprouts could be less crowded while roasting.
- Bake the halved Brussels sprouts for 20 - 30 mins on the lower rack of the oven (cooking times may vary based on Brussels sprouts size). If they have reached the desired crispiness, flip them over and continue cooking for 5 -10 more minutes.
- Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and coat with the blackberry gastrique. And in the crushed pistachios and and vegan feta cheese and combine.
- Plate and top with extra vegan feta cheese, crushed pistachios, and blackberries. Drizzle extra blackberry gastrique on top of the dish.