Tags
bitter foods, bitterness, brussels sprouts, Jean-Georges restaurant, Paisley Farm Dilled Brussels Sprouts, pickled vegetables, Rapini, supertasters
Sprouts are a vegetable I usually dislike (even though I’m fine with cabbage and broccoli). To my palate, they taste very bitter. It is part of family mythology how I once ridiculed my little brother for turning his nose up at a bowl of sprouts, loudly announcing “Look, I’ll eat one myself!” I popped one of the wee quinine bombs into my mouth, chewed, and was forced to spit it out again, in spite of the inevitable humiliation…
It’s possible that I am among the 35% of women who are “supertasters,” which merely means we have more taste buds and an increased sensitivity to bitterness. (About 15% of men are supertasters.) Indeed, I can barely eat radicchio, and dislike grapefruit. Some soy milks taste bitter to me, and I detest Campari. On the other hand, rapini is by far my favorite vegetable, and I adore olives! Not to mention the occasional gin and tonic, in season.
I have only experienced non-bitter sprouts three times in my life.
(1) Tiny and marble sized (very difficult to find), sautéed in a pan.
Sprouts about the size of grapes are about right. Click for this cool, counterintuitive recipe from Poormansfeast.com.
(2) Broiled at Jean-Georges (they tasted a bit like a broiled steak).
Not only the best sprouts, but one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Which is why you should eat at Jean-Georges even though it’s in the Trump hotel. Photo by Linnet.
(3) Pickled in a jar (yummy and not bitter in the least).
Paisley Farm Dilled Brussels Sprouts are famous as garnishes for a Bloody Mary or martini. I recommend them! Click for Paisley website.
We made our own pickled sprouts a couple of weeks ago, and broke open the first jar for a taste test.
White-wine vinegar, chili pepper, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and salt.
The verdict? Great flavor, but I should have parboiled or steamed these first, because they are still quite crunchy. Maybe an additional week or two of pickling will “cook” them down to a more tender bite.
Linnet Moss 
Love sprouts 🙂 I want to try all of these!!!
Just for interest, how are you with artichokes?
Oh, I love artichokes. I’ve never had a problem with them, though they are tough to pair with wine!
I love them too 🙂 But yes, wine brings on a terrible aftertaste. Maybe there are some Italian wines that would complement them, as Italians tend to be very fond of artichokes.
Just went to the store and got myself 2 lbs of sprouts after reading this. I like to roast them though with lemon salt and pepper, however I hate that it makes the house stink.
2 lbs! That’s a lot of sprouts! I wish I could like them better, but for now I will only eat the pickled ones. When I roast them myself, they still taste bitter. Note to self: ask Jean-Georges to share his recipe, LOL!
I use Ina Garten’s Roasted Brussel Sprouts recipe 🙂
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2.html
One day I didn’t have plain pepper and so I used lemon pepper (not lemon salt like I wrote earlier) and I’ve used that instead of salt ever since.
Lemon pepper is a great idea!!
I love the research on ‘supertasters,’ and think there’s a bucketload more to be discovered in terms of people and their super sensory capabilities.
And now I’m also hankerin’ a large bowlful of beautiful brussel sprouts. Sadly, I will have to make do with a lentil burger. I know, it doesn’t even come close, but it’s relatively the same shape. I shall pretend and use my super sensory capabilities of imagination. 🙂
Lentil burgers sound great to me!!!