Adapted from “The Paley’s Place Cookbook” by Vitaly Paley and Kimberly Paley with Robert Reynolds. Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound slab bacon, diced (ask your butcher to give you a chunk of bacon rather than sliced bacon)
1 cup crème fraîche
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Persillade (see below), for garnish
Directions
Trim off the browned root end of each sprout and peel away and discard any discolored outer leaves.
Have a bowl of ice water ready. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the Brussels sprouts until they soften and lose their bitterness, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sprouts to the ice water to stop the cooking.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the bacon until crispy, about 10 minutes. Pour off and discard half the bacon fat.
Add the Brussels sprouts, crème fraîche and lemon juice. Cook until the cream thickens, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, transfer to a large platter, garnish with persillade, and serve immediately.
Persillade
Makes 1/3 cup.
Ingredients
1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves only
3 large cloves garlic
Directions
Finely chop the parsley on a cutting board, then gather it to one side of the board. Finely chop the garlic. Mix them together and chop some more until well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a small container, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use.
