Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms and Cream

It's good to be home, though our week in Longboat Key was punctuated by gorgeous weather and fabulous seafood. Before we left for home, I'd scheduled this post, but I wanted to add a "pre-script" to say how much I missed the ability to keep up with my blogging friends. Sadly, we're not "connected" since we don't spend large blocks of time in Florida. I'll be catching up soon, though--promise!

I don't know about you, but I've already started planning this Thanksgiving's feast by auditioning some new sides. We've been happily eating some form of roasted brussels sprouts for the past few years, but when I saw this recipe in the October/November 2010 issue of FINE COOKING, I thought it was time for a change. Since we would be eating this on a regular weeknight, I did cut back on the fats, reducing the olive oil and butter and cream by more than half. I also used sliced white mushrooms instead of wild mushrooms since that's what I had on hand. My changes are in red.)

Serves 6 (yeah, right!)
1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
5 tbs olive oil (2 tbs)
Kosher salt
3 tbs unsalted butter (1 tbs)
3/4 lb wild mushrooms, halved or cut into 1 inch wedges
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine (sherry)
1 cup heavy cream (1/2 cup)
freshly ground black pepper

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Put the brussels sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle with the olive oil; toss to coat. Spread them into a single layer and season generously with salt. Roast until tender and browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tbs of the olive oil and 2 tbs of the butter. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and remove from the skillet.

Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs butter. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and cook until tender and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Return the mushrooms to the pan, add the brussels sprouts and cream. Stir in a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the cream thickens and coats the vegetables, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste and serve immediately.
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TASTE NOTES
Note to self:  buy lots and lots of brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving so others can taste the dish, too. These were, in a word, magnificent! Because I make lots of side dishes, I like to be able to prepare as many of them as possible the day before. This dish can be made up to the point where you saute the shallot, then set the dish aside to be finished at the last minute. I did this for dinner just to make certain it wouldn't suffer from sitting around. Believe me, it didn't. The carmelization on the roasted sprouts is what has made this the only method THE FOOD OF LOVE kitchen uses for this vegetable. The cream just coats the vegetables and adds another layer of sweetness to that imparted by the shallot. I don't know if it's necessary to add back any of the oil and butter (DSO is lobbying for that), but I will add the full complement of cream, but only for holidays. :)