This is my must-have Thanksgiving dish!
I developed this recipe decades ago! I used to make it with just mushrooms but, when I met my husband and discovered he doesn't like mushrooms, I replaced them with chestnuts.
Since then, he has learned that he can tolerate black trumpet mushrooms so I use them now. If you like mushrooms and chestnuts, feel free to use them both, or leave them out entirely if you don't like either.
When I use black trumpet mushrooms, which aren't in season in November, I buy them dried and use only the liquor, since they've given all their flavor to it.
For Thanksgiving, I usually double the recipe.
Brussels Sprouts, Chestnuts & Mushrooms in Caramelized Onion Cream
INGREDIENTS
- 6 T. butter or ghee
- 1.5 pounds small brussels sprouts (I like Whole Foods Petite Brussels Sprouts, frozen), or large brussels sprouts halved
- 1/2 pound roasted and peeled European chestnuts (do not use Chinese chestnuts)
- 1 pound of shiitake or crimini mushrooms, quartered OR 1 ounce dried black trumpet mushrooms
- 3 pounds of yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1.5 - 2 cups heavy cream
- salt and pepper
- OPTIONAL 1/2 c brandy
EQUIPMENT if you're using black trumpet mushrooms:
- Nut milk bag, coffee filter, or muslin
- small bowl
INSTRUCTIONS
If you're using dried black trumpet mushrooms, put them in a bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let them steep while you cook the onions and the brussels sprouts; then, holding the nut milk bag over a different bowl, ladle the soaking liquid through the nut milk bag into that bowl, leaving the mushrooms and any grit they released in the first bowl. Nut milk bags are made from a very fine mesh and should catch any grit the mushrooms released. If you don't have a nut milk bag, you can use a coffee filter or even a piece of fine cotton fabric. Reserve the soaking liquid and toss the mushrooms.
In a large saute pan, melt 3 T fat over medium-high heat and add the sliced onions. Cook them, stirring only occasionally, until they turn a deep medium brown. By cooking them on med-high, they should turn brown before they disintegrate. Remove them to a bowl.
If you're using shiitake and/or crimini mushrooms, add them to the pan and saute until browned. Remove them to the bowl with the onions.
Melt the remaining 3 T. fat in the same pan, on medium-high heat, and add the brussels sprouts. Add 1 cup of water, cover the pan, and cook until the water has disappeared, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the lid and let the sprouts brown in the fat.
If you're using black trumpet mushrooms, strain the soaking liquid from the mushrooms and add it to the pan with the brussels sprouts. If you're using the brandy, add it to the pan now. Cook until reduced to a glaze. Reduce heat to medium.
Add 1 c. of cream to the pan, then the chestnuts, then the onions. Stir everything together. Add additional cream if necessary to create enough sauce to coat the vegetables. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Serve!
If you aren't going to serve this immediately, reduce heat to very low and stir occasionally. When I take it to a potluck, I transfer it to a Le Creuset enamel cast iron pot that I have preheated in a 200-degree oven, and then wrap the pot in a towel. It will stay hot for hours!
PHOTOS
NOTE: In the photos below, I am making a double recipe in a 14" saute pan using black trumpet mushroom liquor. I did not use the brandy.
In a large saute pan, melt 3 T fat over medium-high heat and add the sliced onions. Cook them, stirring only occasionally, until they turn a deep medium brown. By cooking them on med-high, they should turn brown before they disintegrate. Remove them to a bowl.
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| Sliced onions before sauteing |
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| Caramelized onions |
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| Remove caramelized onions to a bowl. |
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| Caramelized onions, black trumpet mushroom liquor, Spanish chestnuts |
Melt the remaining 3 T. fat in the same pan, on medium-high heat, and add the brussels sprouts. Add 1 cup of water, cover the pan, and cook until the water has disappeared, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the lid and let the sprouts brown in the fat.
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| Frozen brussels sprouts into the same pan in which the onions were caramelized |
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| Steamed and then sauteed brussels sprouts |
If you're using black trumpet mushrooms, strain the soaking liquid from the mushrooms and add it to the pan with the brussels sprouts. If you're using the brandy, add it to the pan now. Cook until reduced to a glaze. Reduce heat to medium.
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| Black trumpet mushroom liquor reduced to a glaze |
Add 1 c. of cream to the pan, then the chestnuts, then the onions. Stir everything together. Add additional cream if necessary to create enough sauce to coat the vegetables. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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| Add 1 cup cream to the pan. |
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| Add chestnuts to the pan. |
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| Add caramelized onions to the pan. |
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| Add more cream as necessary to bathe all the vegetables. |
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| Brussels sprouts and chestnuts in caramelized onion cream. |
