Brussels Sprouts...From Paris with Love!

Thierry and I, in front of Pei's Pyramid - the Louvre Museum, Paris, August 2008.

Mon cher Coco,

This new label Chez Coco & Co will feature some of my good friends' recipes. The first one invited aboard is Titi from Paris. Let me tell you briefly about my good friend, Thierry. I have known him since I was 19! In a nutshell, since college as we were both following English studies, at that time. There was a lapse of about 10 years in our relationship as he moved to Prague, and well, we lost touch. But one day as I was browsing my facebook, I thought of him and searched his name on the network. There he was. He's now back to my community of friends, and I am overjoyed! Thierry (a.k.a Titi) is the most Tati-esque person I have ever met. It is no surprise then if Jacques Tati is one of his favourite film directors... Thierry loves the 1960s and collects furniture, clocks, fabrics, posters, books, etc from that era.

He also is a talented art director and web designer who works for a Parisian advertising company. I definitely share a lot with Thierry. He is a true hedonistic Epicurian, like I am. Oh, and he is a great cook too. He has always loved cooking. The last time we visited him in Paris, he spoilt us with a precious homemade gift of his : a pear and lemon jam that was jaw-dropping and mind-blowing!
OK. So now I guess you can roughly picture out who my good friend Thierry, is. Well, recently, I received an invite from him and his partner Benoît, who happens to be an amazing baroque flutist, by the way. They just bought a house in the suburbs of Paris, and as they were throwing a swell party, they thought of us in Toronto! Obviously, we could only wish them all the best as Marco and I could not take a trip to Paris for the occasion. But the other day I received an email from him, and it felt as if we had attended the whole party! Thierry drew us an exhaustive list of the meals that they had concocted. And look how thoughtful I am, let's share the joy of the party together...I am going to give you the recipe of an unusual loaf.
Please, pardon my French! As I'm quoting him, there's going to be a bit of French involved here. Oh, come on, mon cher Coco, don't sulk like that! A bit of French cannot hurt you. On the contrary. Ah voilà, it's better- Step on it!

Brussels Sprouts, Caramelized Onions*, and Toasted Pine Nuts Loaf
-Cake au choux de Bruxelles, oignons caramélisés et pignons de pin-

Ah, Brussels sprouts, you either love them or you hate them...While many will bemoan the sudden appearance of the slightly pungent vegetable on the sides of their plates, there is more to the humble Brussels sprout than meets the eye. When cooked correctly, not only does the sprout have exceptional nutritional value, three times the vitamin C than the same weight of oranges, it also is more versatile to cook with than one might think. So here is the recipe for Titi's loaf. You can use it to taste, and add all the ingredients you particularly love, or those that suit what is left in your fridge...Lucky you!

Préparation : 15 min
Cuisson : 45-50 min à 200°C (400°F)

Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes) :
- 150- 200 g de farine/ flour
- 3 oeufs / eggs
- 1 gros oignon (environ 200 g)/1 big onion
- 200 g de Choux de Bruxelles, cuits à la vapeur et coupés en 4/ Brussels sprouts, steamed and cut in 4
- 100 g de gruyère râpé /grated cheese ( I used crumbs of blue cheese and parmesan).
My tip: Here you can substitute ham, chorizo, etc. for cheese, or combine them all...
- 25 g de pignons de pin (les faire griller avec oignons et choux)/ pine nuts (toasted with onions and sprouts)
- 4 cuillères à soupe d'huile d'olive / 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 verres de vin blanc sec / dry white wine (or 150 g plain yogurt or 1 cup of milk or half-half cream)
- 1 sachet de levure chimique/ 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp baking powder

* How to caramelize onions:

1. Heat butter or combination of butter and oil in heavy skillet.
2. Add onions and a small amount of sugar (optional) and slowly cook over medium heat.
3. Cook until onions are caramel colored, stirring often, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. For more flavor, add a touch of vinegar at the end of cooking, stirring to deglaze the pan.

I tried it, and it was a success! I baked the loaf, and let it cool down for a night. I served it the next day for lunch as a cold dish, with a baby spinach salad, and a side of small cut tomatoes puréed, enhanced with onions, celery and green peppers. It was miam-miam!
Variations; I made another one, where I added to the sprouts and caramelized onions, some piquante salami, sundried tomatoes, chestnus (instead of pine nuts) and a full bunch of fresh parsley. Again, Delicioso!

. Faire revenir les choux dans une poêle tout doucement avec les oignons caramélisés. Bien laisser refroidir. Puis, intégrer les choux + oignons dans la préparation. / Gently sizzle the Brussel sprouts in a skillet with the onions on low heat, and add them to the mix when cooled down.)

. Mélanger les choux, les oignons caramélisés, les pignons, le gruyère, les oeufs, l'huile, le vin blanc.

. Incorporer ensuite la farine mélangée à la levure chimique.

. Placer le mélange dans un moule à cake beurré, et cuire 45-50 min dans un four préchauffé à 200°C (400*F).

Wine suggestion: Here are the wines Titi & Benoît offered to their guests : St Nicolas de Bourgueil, 1996 (mind-blowing!), and a Vacqueyras 2004.

Benoît (left) & Thierry (right) in Paris, August 2008.

More Brussels Sprouts?
While investigating the Brussels sprouts case, I also found the recipe for the following loaf with sprouts, ham and hazelnuts. You should try this one along with Titi's, both loafs will please your guests, and win their hearts over to the Brussels sprouts' cause forever. Splendid!
Brussels sprouts 200g (steam them but not too long, they must remain firm)
flour 150g
toasted hazelnuts 70g
ham or prosciutto 4 thin slices
eggs 3
grated parmesan 50g
olive oil 4 tbsp
seed style mustard 1tbsp
baking powder 1 tbsp
salt & pepper

Whisk the eggs with the oil. Add the flour, the baking powder and the Brussel sprouts, steamed and cut in 4, the thinly sliced ham, and the hazelnuts, coarsely crushed. Mix well, add the parmesan, mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture in a loaf pan and bake for 45 min at 375*F (180*C).

Vive les choux de Bruxelles!