Christmas

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

by:
November 19, 2012
3.8
4 Ratings
Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

I decided to try turning one of my favorite brussels sprout salad recipes (Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing and Maple Glazed Pecans from the November 2009 issue of Bon Appétit) into a warm side dish. The mustard, maple, and cream combination does wonders to both temper and enhance the natural sweet and bitter flavors of cooked brussels sprouts. If you want to keep the recipe vegetarian, substitute mushroom or a non-sweet vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I recently tried Melissa Clark's method for making bread crumbs using the grating disc of a food processor, and think it works beautifully. Use any method you'd like for making the bread crumbs -- but do make your own if possible. —hardlikearmour

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Between her Wintry Corn Bread Pudding and her Winter Fruit Salsa, hardlikearmour is prepared for cold weather ahead.
WHAT: If you love shaved brussels sprouts and you love gratin, we have something for you.
HOW: Slice your brussels sprouts super thin. Flood them in broth, cream, mustard, and maple syrup. Transfer to a baking dish, cover with buttery bread crumbs and pecans, and bake until dark and crispy on top.
WHY WE LOVE IT: We don’t miss the cheese in this gratin -- the combination of sharp mustard, sweet maple syrup, and slightly bitter brussels is enough to keep us happy (and the carpet of bread crumbs doesn’t hurt either). —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the brussels sprouts:
  • 1 pound brussels sprouts
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (grade B preferred)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • For the gratin topping:
  • 1 cup bread crumbs made from dry bread
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 tablespoon) maple syrup (grade B preferred)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F with a rack in the middle or lower middle position.
  2. Remove hard stem end and any bruised or wilted leaves from brussels sprouts. Shred them using the slicing disc of a food processor, alternately use a mandoline set at 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, or slice them by hand. Set aside
  3. Whisk together remaining brussels sprouts ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in the shredded brussels sprouts, then transfer mixture to a gratin or shallow baking pan (a 1-quart gratin or an 8-inch square baking pan). Spread in an even layer.
  4. Combine the gratin topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss until the crumbs are well-coated and the mixture is homogenous. Sprinkle in an even layer over brussels sprouts.
  5. Bake until the topping is golden brown in the center and dark golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes. [Editors' note: Our gratin took about 50 minutes to uniformly brown.] Rotate the pan after 20 minutes to promote even browning. Serve immediately.
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hardlikearmour

Recipe by: hardlikearmour

I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

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29 Reviews

tuesdaywine
tuesdaywine July 27, 2023
This was a hit! Like other reviewers, I had a 10oz bag of shredded Brussels Sprouts and was concerned about the veg/liquid ratio. I had some arugula in the fridge so I chopped up a couple of handfuls to supplement. It worked.
I used Steen's Pure Cane syrup in place of maple and had a light hand for both uses. Finally, for the topping, I used panko in place of breadcrumbs and coarsely chopped almonds in place of pecans.
The dish was fantastic the night it was made and just as good if not better the next day.
 
Kellia B.
Kellia B. March 7, 2019
This is by far the best gratin I've had (Yes, even you, potatoes au gratin - sorry!). The cream/stock cooks down to a thick creamy sauce - I didn't find it to be too liquidy as someone else suggested. I've made this a few times and usually add a bit more mustard and maple syrup, sub regular salt for smoked salt. I've also used walnuts and pine nuts in place of pecans since that's what I had on hand. Turned out great every time.
 
Steve
Steve February 9, 2018
I made this exactly as the recipe stated, it was, not great. Not much flavor, and way too sweet. And, took longer than the 35 mins.
 
kyurman
kyurman October 15, 2017
I made this last night as written, using Trader Joe's shaved brussels sprouts. I thought it was very good. But it seemed like it had too much liquid. Perhaps I didn't cook it long enough? I have a convection oven and tops tend to brown quickly. Next time I think I'll cover it for a bit so it can bake longer without burning the top.

I'd love to hear from others regarding the liquid issue. I might reduce the chicken stock a bit next time. Also will be reheating it for leftovers tonight so we'll see how that goes.
 
Erica
Erica October 6, 2017
I made this over last night and instead of turning the sprouts into slaw, I simply pleeled them, leaving the leaves whole. It was time consuming and tedious but I thought it was prettier and I Iiked the texture much better. Also left out the syrup since I don't like sugar or anything sweet. Its not a health thing, I just hate the taste of sugar/sweet!
 
Kelly C.
Kelly C. October 2, 2017
Has anyone tried adding crumbled sausage, maybe with sage, to make this a one-pot meal?
 
Geoffrey W.
Geoffrey W. November 1, 2016
Has anyone tried making this a day ahead, refrigerating, and then baking on the day?
 
galsmu
galsmu September 24, 2016
This recipe looks great! Has anyone made it using Trader Joe's Shaved brussels sprouts? Each bag is 10 oz. One bag doesn't seem like enough. Maybe 1 1/2 bags? It seems like a volume issue, not just weight.
 
robin L.
robin L. September 24, 2016
That is a great idea ! I have one bag of TJ's shredded Brussels sprouts...I'll probably get another one and use a bit over half of it for this. I saved this recipe a long time ago...time to make i! Thx for the idea of the pre-shredded!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour September 24, 2016
I think 1.5 bags would work well. Do let us know, though :-)
 
Lynn S.
Lynn S. February 22, 2016
Wow! A huge hit. Definitely one of our favorites!!!
 
Kevin F.
Kevin F. January 1, 2016
Turned out very well. My son, who doesn't care for brussels sprouts, enjoyed the dish.
 
jonzer
jonzer December 2, 2015
This is like the best thing I've ever had! Thank you :)
 
EmilyC
EmilyC December 7, 2014
Made this and loved the combo of flavors and ease of preparation! Will definitely make again!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour December 7, 2014
Glad to hear it! We had it for Thanksgiving this year.
 
Lisa
Lisa December 1, 2014
This was delicious. It far exceeded my expectations!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour December 7, 2014
Thank you!
 
fiveandspice
fiveandspice November 23, 2014
HEY! I just saw this. CONGRATS Sara!!! :)
 
robin L.
robin L. November 23, 2014
...Which size Staub roasting dish was used for this lovely gratin/photo?
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour November 19, 2014
Happy day! Thanks all.
 
aargersi
aargersi November 19, 2014
Yay you! Yum!!!
 
Kukla
Kukla November 19, 2014
Congratulations HLA on the Wild Card win!! What a tasty combination of flavors!!
 
EmilyC
EmilyC November 19, 2014
Woohoo -- big congrats Sara!
 
cookinginvictoria
cookinginvictoria November 19, 2014
Yay, congrats on the WC, HLA! I don't know how I missed this recipe. I love both Brussels Sprouts and creamy gratins. Your take on this dish with the combination of mustard and maple syrup sounds wonderful. Saved -- I plan to try this very soon!