BY JOSH HILLMAN, PEARL WINE CO.
Jenny and I wanted to celebrate the end of a great summer with a seasonal vegetable and bottle of something that would pour easy on the dish and the palette. So this month we’re tapping a bottle of Larceny bourbon for both the aperitifs and a sweet and savory bourbon glaze on my favorite late summer vegetable—the brussel sprout. Perhaps like me, you don’t like to cook alone, so to begin this recipe, pour two fingers of the brown into a pair of rocks glasses. Recite your favorite toast or simply thank your partner for being in your kitchen and bottoms up. Now, let’s cook.
Start by preheating your oven 375 degrees. While your oven warms up, mix the butter, brown sugar, salt, and cayenne in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk this mixture constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture has formed a thick consistency. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and simmer until just barely tender and still bright green, no more than 5 minutes. Remove the Brussels sprouts from the water. Let them dry slightly before slicing each sprout in half. Combine the ham, the sprouts and the sauce in a high sided oven pan and then slowly drizzle the bourbon over the sprouts. Bake the sprouts for 10 minutes. Remove the sprouts and add the remaining bread crumbs. Toss the mixture like a salad to ensure the bread absorbs any remaining liquid. Bake for another ten minutes or until the ham is crisp. Pour another round of bourbon and enjoy this late summer snack with friends and family. As always bone apple tea!
Ingredients
1/3 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 healthy cup of Larceny bourbon (Affordable and smooth enough to drink neat)
1 pound prosciutto, speck ham cut into 1-inch squares.
1 1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs (from about 4 ounces of whatever crusty bread you have on hand)
1 pound small-medium Brussels sprouts. Trim them, but don’t
slice them.
“Josh Hillman is a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and the wine buyer at Pearl Wine Company. Jenny, his girlfriend, is the GM of Savory Spice in Littleton. They love to cook and love good wine. This column is about their journey through matching food and wine together to create the perfect pairing.”