09 October 2015


I was recently invited to join a new blogger group.  This one's all about Wisconsin.  It's called Wisconsin Whisk, and it's made up of bloggers from all over the lovely state of Wisconsin. I was flattered to be invited!


One of the fun things this group does is a monthly blog swap; pretty identical to The Secret Recipe Club that I was in for a long time.  I just love the concept of these challenges and I have discovered so many awesome recipes this way that I jumped at the chance to participate in this one.  It's called All Whisked Up.  

For this first month, I was assigned the blog Bowen Appetit.  Bowen Appetit is written by Bowen Close, who is one of the co-founders of Wisconsin Whisk.  Bowen is not just an awesome food blogger, she also teaches cooking classes.  How cool is that?  She has taught here in the Midwest and also in California.  And her experiences in cooking, teaching, and living cross-country really show through in her recipes.  Bowen loves to cook with seasonal, fresh ingredients that are put together in innovative ways.  I found so many scrumptious things in her recipe index that I wanted to try.  Since fall has most definitely arrived, her Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew with Dumplings really caught my eye.  My husband would just love me forever if I made that for him.  I also really want to try her Baked Eggs.  I love how you can use any kind of veggies in there.

But for this reveal, I had to try out her Brussels Sprout Gratin with Whole-Grain Mustard and Caramelized Onions.  Do you see what I mean about pairing ingredients in innovative ways?  I love the idea of cheese and mustard together; I did that a couple of months ago in my dipping sauce for some pretzel dogs.  But this has a completely different flavor profile with the Gruyere instead of cheddar.  It sounded so perfect for Brussels sprouts.  I happened to have some sprouts in the fridge, so I just needed the Gruyere and I was good to go.  Unfortunately, I had to leave off Bowen's beautiful bread crumb topping because my husband and I are eating low carb.  But this was so amazing that we didn't feel deprived in the least.  Here's my slight adaptation.

Creamy Gruyere & Mustard Brussels Sprout Gratin

Ingredients:
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz. grated Gruyere cheese
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
¼ cup caramelized onion
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Boil or steam Brussels sprouts  until they are slightly tender.  Drain well in a colander.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and cook a minute or so.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream.  Increase heat; when it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in the Gruyere and mustard.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt if necessary. 

Combine the Brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, and Gruyere sauce.  Pour into a small baking dish.  Cover dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Let cool slightly before serving.  Garnish with additional grated Gruyere if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Wow, this was so amazing.  My mom was visiting for the weekend when I made it, so she got to enjoy it too. I actually made a separate veggie for my daughters, because I have not gotten them to appreciate Brussels sprouts just yet.  I usually roast them, and they are just not into it.  So I made them something else, but when I set the dish on the table, they were seriously enamored by the looks of it!  They both asked for some, and ate it, and loved it!  I was totally counting on having some leftovers, but nope!  The five of us scraped that dish clean!  

The Gruyere and the whole grain mustard were such an inspired combination.  I started with 1 tbsp of the mustard, and then added another half, but next time I will make it 2 tbsp.  It just really gives a great depth of flavor to the cheese sauce. 

You seriously need to try this deliciousness.  It would be awesome for Thanksgiving if you feel like trying something new this year. If you have no carb issues, hop over to Bowen's blog and get the details for making the breadcrumb topping.  While you're there, be sure to check out all the other great recipes she has to share with you.

Thank you, Bowen, for a great recipe!

Please take the time to visit my other Wisconsin blogger friends listed below!



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