Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Soft Egg & Everything Crunch

By / Photography By | December 01, 2017

Ingredients

For the pickled peppers:
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup sliced Fresno chiles
  • ½ cup black sesame seeds
  • ½ cup minced garlic flake
  • ½ cup minced onion flake
  • ½ cup poppy seeds
  • ¼ cup Maldon Sea Salt
  • 1 pound cured and smoked slab bacon from butcher
  • 8 local farm eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 cup local Kentucky honey
  • ½ cup pickled pepper liquid
  • 3 pounds of Brussels sprouts, cores removed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
For the Everything Crunch:
  • ½ cup white sesame seeds

Instructions

For the pickled peppers: Heat the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepot until boiling. Pour over the fresh sliced peppers and let cool completely.

For the Everything Crunch: Heat a large sauté pan on low heat. Add the sesame, garlic flake, onion flake and poppy. Toast lightly for 2–3 minutes until just fragrant and remove from heat. Place in a small mixing bowl and fold in the Maldon. Set aside. 

When purchasing bacon, have your butcher leave it uncut. Place the bacon on the cutting board and with a sharp knife cut into 1-inch slices longways. Turn the slices and cut across into 1-inch by 1-inch cubes. Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the cubes of bacon to the pan and slowly render the fat, stirring often. Once the bacon has cooked for several minutes and become crispy on all sides, remove onto a plate with paper towels to cool. 

Fill a large wide-bottomed pot with water about 3 inches full. Place on the stove on high heat until boiling. Gently add the eggs to the pot, taking care not to crack the shells. Set a timer for 6 minutes. Prepare an ice bath. After 6 minutes, remove the eggs from the pot and place into the ice bath to stop the cooking and cool. Once the eggs are cooled, pull them out of the bath before they are fully chilled through. This will make them easier to peel. Crack and peel the eggs taking care to not puncture the whites. The egg will be fully set on the outside and soft and runny in the center. 

Honey: Place fish sauce, honey, and pickled pepper liquid in a bowl and whisk to combine. 

Brussels sprouts: Preheat oven to 425°. Heat a large cast-iron pan on medium-high heat. In a large mixing bowl, toss the sprouts with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place the sprouts cut side down in the pan and sear for 2–3 minutes. Once the sprouts are golden brown, remove to a baking sheet. You will need to do this in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan, which would prevent proper browning. Place in oven and roast for 8–10 minutes, until crispy and just tender. 

Heat a medium sauce pot with water to a simmer to refresh the eggs. Drop the eggs in the pot to warm while combining the Brussels sprouts, honey, bacon and pickled peppers in a large bowl. Season with salt and a touch of lemon juice to taste. The sprouts should be salty, smoky, sour and sweet. Place the sprouts in a serving bowl. Put the soft eggs on top of the sprouts and liberally sprinkle the “Everything Crunch” all over the top. Finish with chopped cilantro.

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Ingredients

For the pickled peppers:
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup sliced Fresno chiles
  • ½ cup black sesame seeds
  • ½ cup minced garlic flake
  • ½ cup minced onion flake
  • ½ cup poppy seeds
  • ¼ cup Maldon Sea Salt
  • 1 pound cured and smoked slab bacon from butcher
  • 8 local farm eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 cup local Kentucky honey
  • ½ cup pickled pepper liquid
  • 3 pounds of Brussels sprouts, cores removed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
For the Everything Crunch:
  • ½ cup white sesame seeds
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