I frequently heard about chestnuts and Brussels sprouts (especially from our English customers) but never really got it, until Chef Paige introduced me to this recipe, adapted from Gourmet Magazine November 2005. At first I thought “Brussels sprouts and cream?” but with the chestnuts, it is magic. See Chef Paige's full blog with lots of extras about this recipe at: http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2010/11/brussels-sprouts-with-chestnutsa.html
Ingredients:
Place the cream, 1/4 cup of the water and the chestnuts in a small saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer and gently cook over very low heat while preparing the Brussels sprouts. The goal is to soften the chestnuts slightly while infusing the cream with their flavor. There should only be a few bubbles visible on the surface of the cream. If cooked at a rapid simmer or boil, the cream will reduce too much and the final dish will be oily rather than creamy
Bring butter, salt and remaining 1 cup water to a boil over high heat in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet (the water should fill the pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch). Add the Brussels sprouts and thyme and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the lid and boil over moderately high to high heat until water is evaporated and the sprouts sizzling in the butter and beginning to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the cream along with the chestnuts. The cream will boil and reduce rapidly upon coming in contact with the hot pan, so stir constantly with a heat proof spatula, encouraging the thickening cream to coat the sprouts and chestnuts. If the cream is still too liquid, return the pan to moderate heat and simmer until the cream lightly coats the sprouts and chestnuts. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt & pepper.
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