Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Manchego And Almonds

These roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts, a recipe from the Franny’s cookbook, are simple and delicious. Toasted almonds and Manchego cheese make it a hearty vegetable side dish, as perfect to serve alongside a simple roast chicken as a Thanksgiving turkey.

A few weeks ago, I found myself at the library with Ella looking for yet another Calvin and Hobbes book. Once I found it, I ducked around the corner to the cookbook section for a quick peek and spotted Franny’s , a cookbook I did not know existed.

This recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts with Manchego and almonds immediately caught my attention. Because I love these balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts , I substituted a fancy white balsamic vinegar for the lemon. No regrets.

Recently, in place of buying fancy white balsamic, I reduce cheaper, conventional white balsamic to concentrate its sweetness and thicken its consistency.

A Note About Pecorino & Manchego

• Pecorino simply means “sheep’s milk cheese,” though many people equate it with Pecorino Romano (including yours truly). Andrew Feinberg, the chef of Franny’s, recommends using something like Pecorino Ginepro, an Italian cheese flavored with balsamic vinegar and juniper, or Manchego, but not Pecorino Romano, which he says would overwhelm this dish. I always use Manchego, which I can find everywhere and which works beautifully here.

I learned about Franny’s from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons , which includes a recipe for the “kale salad that started it all,” which Joshua created while working at Franny’s. Most recently, I made Melissa Clark’s seared broccoli and potato soup , which was based on a soup made at Franny’s and which, as it turns out, is also included in Franny’s the cookbook. There’s a recipe for the zucchini version of the soup, too.

A quick flip through the book convinced me I needed to take it home, but I’ve since purchased it . It’s so good! Friends, if you are fans of Six Seasons , I think you’ll really love this one, too. The subtitle is “Simple. Seasonal. Italian.” — what’s not to love? — but what I’ve been enjoying most is seeing glimpses of Joshua McFadden’s food in the pages. It’s not the same, but similar.

PS: Ina Garten’s Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

PPS: All the Vegetable Side Dishes

Here’s the play-by-play:

Halve 1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts.

Toss with olive oil and salt.

Spread onto a sheet pan — this is a large sheet pan .

Gather the components: Roasted Brussels sprouts, toasted almonds, cubed Manchego, reduced white balsamic.

Combine.

Toss. Adjust flavor as needed with salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon, etc.

Eat.

Description

Adapted from Franny’s: Simple Seasonal Italian by Andrew Feinberg, Francine Stephens, and Melissa Clark

Notes: I made some changes to the recipe, so if you want to follow the original recipe, omit the vinegar, and use 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste.

Also, the original recipe calls for roasting the Brussels sprouts at 500ºF for 20-25 minutes. I’ve reduced the heat to 450ºF, which I find still gives the sprouts a nice char, while allowing them to cook all the way through. Original recipe also calls for whole almonds, which you toast and chop. I used sliced almonds for simplicity. (Lazy me.)

For video guidance, check out Instagram Stories.

• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon, see notes above)
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved through the stem
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Ginepro or Manchego cheese (but not Pecorino Romano), broken into jagged 1/4-inch pieces or cubed
• Nice flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
• lemon for finishing, optional

1. Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar to a simmer. Adjust the temperature so the vinegar stays at a gentle simmer and cook until it reduces by half. You’ll know it’s done when it coats the back of the spoon—err on the side of under-reducing. As it sits in the hot pan, it will continue to reduce.
3. Place the Brussels sprouts, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Toss to evenly coat. Arrange the Brussels sprouts in a single layer on the roasting pan. Reserve the bowl. Roast for 15 minutes or until the sprouts begin to bronze and char in places. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to the reserved bowl and set them aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the almonds in a medium skillet and toast over low heat, until golden. If you can give them your full attention, you can crank up the heat, but watch closely—they’ll burn quickly. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
5. Add the toasted almonds, cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and reduced balsamic to the bowl with the Brussels Sprouts and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt (if you have it) and pepper. If desired, add a squeeze of lemon, too.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Oven, Roasting
• Cuisine: American, Italian

Description

Adapted from Franny’s: Simple Seasonal Italian by Andrew Feinberg, Francine Stephens, and Melissa Clark

Notes: I made some changes to the recipe, so if you want to follow the original recipe, omit the vinegar, and use 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste.

Also, the original recipe calls for roasting the Brussels sprouts at 500ºF for 20-25 minutes. I’ve reduced the heat to 450ºF, which I find still gives the sprouts a nice char, while allowing them to cook all the way through. Original recipe also calls for whole almonds, which you toast and chop. I used sliced almonds for simplicity. (Lazy me.)

For video guidance, check out Instagram Stories.

• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon, see notes above)
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved through the stem
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Ginepro or Manchego cheese (but not Pecorino Romano), broken into jagged 1/4-inch pieces or cubed
• Nice flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
• lemon for finishing, optional

1. Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar to a simmer. Adjust the temperature so the vinegar stays at a gentle simmer and cook until it reduces by half. You’ll know it’s done when it coats the back of the spoon—err on the side of under-reducing. As it sits in the hot pan, it will continue to reduce.
3. Place the Brussels sprouts, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Toss to evenly coat. Arrange the Brussels sprouts in a single layer on the roasting pan. Reserve the bowl. Roast for 15 minutes or until the sprouts begin to bronze and char in places. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to the reserved bowl and set them aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the almonds in a medium skillet and toast over low heat, until golden. If you can give them your full attention, you can crank up the heat, but watch closely—they’ll burn quickly. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
5. Add the toasted almonds, cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and reduced balsamic to the bowl with the Brussels Sprouts and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt (if you have it) and pepper. If desired, add a squeeze of lemon, too.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Roasting, Oven
• Cuisine: American, Italian

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2018/11/16/frannys-roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-manchego-toasted-almonds/

This salted maple pie is everything I want in a dessert: a sweet and salty custard in a flaky, buttery crust. Served with billowy whipped cream, it’s heaven, perfect for Thanksgiving, or for any fall or winter gathering.

A few days before last Thanksgiving, in search of one more pie to add to my dessert spread, I began paging through Sister Pie and landed on this recipe for salted maple pie, the bakery’s take on a classic chess pie, an old-fashioned Southern dessert which typically contains cornmeal, butter, sugar, and eggs.

Sister Pie’s version also contains cornmeal but is sweetened with maple syrup and is finished, once the pie cools, with a nice sprinkling of sea salt. I find it irresistible. I think you might, too.

How to Make Salted Maple Pie, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients:

As always, for best results, use a scale to measure:

Start by whisking together the melted butter and maple syrup:

Then add the cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt:

Whisk until smooth:

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, heavy cream and vanilla:

Whisk until smooth:

Then add this egg-cream mixture to the maple syrup mixture and whisk until smooth.

Parbake your pie crust. (Find video guidance on how to make and parbake your crust here .)

Fill the shell with the custard:

Then bake for roughly 1 hour or until the custard is set:

Transfer to a cooling rack:

And let cool for at least an hour before slicing and…

… serving with salted whipped cream:

One of my favorite Thanksgiving pies 🥧🥧🥧

Description

This salted maple pie, to me, is everything I want in a dessert: a sweet and salty custard in a flaky, buttery crust. Heaven. It is perfect for Thanksgiving, but I think it’s nice for fall in general.

Adapted from Sister Pie , a cookbook from the eponymous bakery in Detroit.

I love my Emile Henry pie plate — it makes the best crust. You need a 9-inch pie plate at least 2 inches deep for this recipe.

Finally: A number of people have had issues with this recipe, and I have a few thoughts: 1. They are using cold maple syrup. 2. They might be using pie plates that are indeed 9 inches in diameter but perhaps not tall enough. If you store your maple syrup in the fridge, measure out what you need and let it sit (covered) at room temperature for several hours. Be sure to measure the depth of your pie plate.

For the pie crust:

• Homemade Pie Dough (one parbaked shell)

For the pie:

• 10 tablespoons ( 142 g ) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup ( 300 g ) maple syrup, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup ( 32 g ) fine yellow cornmeal
• 3⁄4 cup ( 150 g ) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt ( 1.5 g )
• 1 – 1⁄4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 3⁄4 cup ( 188 g ) heavy cream, room temperature

For finishing:

• Flaky sea salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Make the filling : In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and melted butter. Add the cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk the egg-cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and whisk again until very well combined or emulsified — this is important: several commenters have had issues with the mixture separating in the oven.
3. Place the parbaked pie shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the filling into the pie shell.
4. Transfer the baking sheet with the pie on it to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the edges are puffed and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken. It will look slightly underbaked when you remove it but it will continue to set as it cools. This consistently takes me at least 1 hour to cook.
5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the pie to a wire rack. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt. Let cool for 4 to 6 hours. Once fully cooled and at room temperature, slice, and serve.
6. To make the whipped cream , beat the heavy cream with a wire whip or in an electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Sprinkle in a small handful of sugar (or don’t — I actually like this whipped cream without any sugar because the pie is on the sweet side) and a big pinch of flaky sea salt and beat until peaks begin to get firmer. Taste. Add more sugar (if using) and salt to taste. Beat until peaks begin to hold their shape or until they reach a texture you like — I like billowy, not-quite-stiff peaks. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
7. Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap, or tucked into a jumbo ziplock bag, or under a pie dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American