Brussels Sprouts With Bacon And Juniper Berries

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

We recently sorted out that we’re hosting Thanksgiving this year. Nothing big, just some friends over for a small gathering, but still, Thanksgiving! The most important meal of the year! Talk about performance pressure. But, I think I’m just going to take it one step at a time. I’ve already decided we’re spatchcocking, and besides the turkey, isn’t everything else just gravy from there?

Did you know, up until I met Chris, I’d never eaten turkey? Thanksgivings with my family were such non-events, I can’t at all recall what we used to do. Really, I have no clue, and I’m really racking my brain here. I don’t think my sister and I ever felt like we were missing out though, because you can’t really desire something you’ve never experienced. It meant a week off from school, and that was good enough for us.

When Chris and I started dating, Thanksgiving was always fraught with separation anxiety. We were young, barely into college, and the idea of being apart for FIVE WHOLE DAYS was unimaginable. Obviously, our relationship survived. But just barely. Just kidding. (Actually, the first winter break we spent apart, my family decided to take a month-long trip to China, where all communication was virtually impossible. I’m still mad at myself for spending so much time moping around feeling sorry for myself that I didn’t really get to enjoy the visit.)

Now that I’ve been through a couple real Thanksgivings, complete with turkey and pumpkin pie and the whole nine yards, I can confidently voice my day-of preferences: NO cranberry sauce, NO stuffing, LOTS of mashed potatoes and gravy, dark meat, two slices of pie, and more Brussels sprouts please!

You see, somewhere along the way, I discovered the wonder that is Brussels sprouts. I mean, it’s seen such a huge lift in popular opinion in recent years that I’m pretty sure we’re all Brussels sprouts converts. What’s not to love, when it’s served Momofuku-style, all tart and spicy and refreshing? And who could possibly resist the rendition I present to you this year, tossed with lots of bacon, garlic, thyme and a hint of juniper. Not I. Especially since it comes from the cookbook of another lauded chef, the great April Bloomfield.

Here’s what Bloomfield has to say:

“In this dish, each bite is different—in some you get a nutty, sweet nibble of garlic, in others you’ll fork a sprout along with a big piece of pancetta. The juniper comes through just now and again. You might eat a sprout and not get the juniper, and you might eat another and get the juniper. I kind of like that.”

I kind of like that too, April. This sentiment is echoed throughout the book actually, and I find it unusually wise. The trick is to include just enough of an ingredient to leave you wanting more, but not so much that it gets taken for granted.

One last thing before I leave you with the recipe. The use of juniper berries as an ingredient would ordinarily go against all my instincts. It’s, well, GIN after all, herbal and pungent and seemingly not compatible with any kind of food. But it shines here, in a big but small way, an undertone that just works. Please please please seek out the juniper berries.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON AND JUNIPER BERRIES

Adapted from A Girl and Her Pig

Serves 3 to 4 as a side

Ingredients:

1 lb. Brussels sprouts
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise
3 slices bacon
1 tsp Maldon salt
pinches of red pepper flakes
2 juniper berries, smashed and finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp thyme leaves
squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

Trim the Brussels sprouts and slice them in half.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil on medium-high until it ripples. Add the garlic and let the pieces turn golden brown on one side, then flip them over and repeat. Remove the garlic and set aside. They’ll burn quickly once browned, so act fast.

Turn the heat to medium and add the bacon. Let it cook fully, until the slices are crisp, then set them aside on a paper towel to drain.

Add the Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in one layer across the pan. Cook, using tongs or chopsticks to occasionally check the undersides, until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and continue to cook until they’re at your desired level of doneness. This step will take about 10 minutes. Don’t rush it. Take this time to chop your bacon into bits.

Stir in the salt, pinches of red pepper, smashed junipers, and reserved garlic cloves. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the thyme, another Tbsp of olive oil, the bacon pieces, and a nice big squeeze of lemon juice. Serve.

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Maple Barbeque Chicken Bites

Recipes

Christiana George

Updated Date:
December 18, 2022

Here’s a little Superbowl inspired treat for you. I realize it’s not a sweet, but it does have maple syrup in it and barbeque sauce, and bacon. Come on, you can’t go wrong with bacon. Just so you know, I was not born into a sports loving family, not did I marry into one. The closest I get is every four years my husband watches World Cup Soccer and I may watch a game or two, but we are not fanatics about it. So Superbowl day is just another day for me. I just had this idea for a chicken appetizer and thought it would make a great game day snack for those that party it up.

Apparently I didn’t notice the bottle of mayo was upside down when I took the picture. Silly me!

You can cook your bacon anyway you like, in the oven, in the microwave, or on the stove-top. You just need to chop it into little bits after it is cooked. As for the chicken, you can use fresh cooked chicken (about 2 cups), but I just used canned chicken. It doesn’t taste that much different when cooked and it’s a time-saver.

This recipe is based on the Pampered Chef Lemon Herb Chicken Ring I used to make all the time for parties. It’s an easy recipe to make and adaptable. I used to make the ring on a round stone, but I got rid of my stoneware a while back, because I got tired of trying to clean it. Now I just use a perforated pizza pan. It works just as well. I lay out all the crescent triangles in a circle with each piece slightly overlapping, then I use a small roller to seal them together and stretch them out a bit.

Then I spoon the filling onto the wider part of the triangles and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Next I started tucking the points of the triangles in towards the center of the ring and under the wide part of the triangles. Not all the filling will be covered by the crescent rolls. In the end, you should have a nice crescent wreath.

After it is baked, it will be a nice golden color. You need to let it cool off a bit before you cut it up into appetizer sized portions.

See all those bits of bacon. Nom, Nom! It tastes great just as is, but I wanted to make a dipping sauce to go along with it. I used the same barbeque sauce and maple syrup that I used in the ring to make the sauce.

The maple syrup really enhanced the flavor of the barbeque sauce, especially the smoky flavor. I can see this sauce poured over quite a few dishes. I only made a little bit of sauce for dipping or drizzling over each slice. If you are going to slather it on, I suggest doubling the sauce recipe.

My husband and daughter really enjoyed these Maple Barbeque Chicken Bites with the dipping sauce. We ended up having them for dinner. I had placed them in the fridge this afternoon and just warmed them back up in the oven before serving. I even warmed up the sauce a little in the microwave. Ooh, it’s so delightfully tangy and sweet. A perfect compliment to the Chicken Bites. Bacon, chicken, barbeque sauce, and maple syrup, my new favorite flavor combination.

Maple Barbeque Chicken Bites

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake appetizer entree sandwich snack bacon maple syrup chicken barbeque sauce Super Bowl American

Ingredients (24-26 servings)

For the chicken bites

1 can (10 oz.) chunk white chicken (or two 5 oz. cans), drained
4 slices cooked bacon
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
2 packages ( 8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls

For the dipping sauce

1/4 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

For the chicken bites

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Finely chop the cooked bacon and chicken. Place them in a medium size bowl.

Add shredded cheese, mayonnaise, maple syrup, and barbecue sauce. Mix by hand until well blended.

On a round pizza stone or pizza pan, arrange crescent triangles in a circle with wide ends overlapping in the center and points toward the outside.

With a small roller, or by hand gently flatten out the wide ends and seal the overlapping pieces together.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto the widest end of the triangles and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bring points of the triangles up over the filling and tuck the ends under the wide ends of the dough at the center of the ring. (Filling will not be all covered.)

Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until crescents are golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before cutting into appetizer sized pieces. Serve warm.

For the dipping sauce

Whisk together the barbecue sauce and maple syrup until well blended. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.

Recipe adapted from Lemon Herb Chicken Ring – The Pampered Chef Season’s Best Recipes – 2002

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