Brussel Sprouts with Almonds, Goat Cheese, Beurre Blanc, and Cilantro

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The once despised ingredient of Brussel sprouts is now almost an everyday staple. It adds some variety to the vegetable portion of your plate, no more broccoli, everyday, and can be transformed into so many different dishes, just by tweaking the the cooking method or the sauce. They are certainly one of those dishes that can quickly become your favorite when prepared correctly!

Everyone has one or two or even more things they’ve eaten that were impactful on their life. 

There is an entire show on Food Network called “The Best Thing I’ve Ever Ate.” I personally, have a few of these, food has made me cry, for real. And one of the top, top dishes in my life, is a side a ate in Paris. I don’t remember the exact ingredients but it was something to the tune of Brussel sprouts with goat cheese, cilantro, and beurre blanc. Weird combinations that come together in a not weird way.

Of the top experiences of my life, as of now, number 2 was living in Paris. (It was number 1 but I got married). Every part of living in Paris was amazing. It was everything that you wanted it to be. Living in Paris is everything they say it is. It’s beautiful, and delicious, and Parisian. The size of the city is perfect, small but with limitless offerings. I was working for a real estate firm, showing American’s apartment to rent. So many of the men and even some women we bummed that they got Paris and not London or somewhere in Germany. My advice to them was that they would be blown away be the city and every time, they were. 

Paris is perfect, and my life there was so close to perfect. I had an amazing apartment in the 5^th arrondisement (that’s a story in itself) with all the quirks that make it authentic. I was attending school for a Masters in Food and Wine, that wasn’t terrible. And all the people in my class were incredibly amazing.

That sounds cheesy, it is not. To this day, the group of girl friends I met in class are some of the most interesting, smart, kind, and fun people I have ever met. I think about them almost daily, they might thing I’m crazy because we rarely talk, we now live between India, Colombia, Hawaii, and France, (see I told you, interesting), but they truly made an incredible impact on my life. 

In those years, we had countless dinner parties in my 350 square foot apartment (that is massive by the way), drank so much wine, had so many debates, ate the most delicious food and did the most fun things. I mean, these girls took me on a road trip to Bordeaux to celebrate my birthday with surprise oysters. I can almost cry thinking about this. 

These girls are amazing, so interesting, so smart, so fun to talk to, and best of all, everyone was always game to go out to dinner. Seriously, I was living the life that everyone dreams of. 

It was devastating to leave. Devastating. But God in all his mercy is good, and kind, two days before I left, I was riding the train back to Paris from London. My now husband, who I had known since I was twelve, texted me out of the blue, 2am his time, 2pm my time. He’d apparently be after me for five years. It was his last shot. It took me years to come down from the Paris high, especially moving back to Hawaii, the most isolated spot on the earth, but the trade off of marrying my husband was too good to pass up. I don’t think anything could top that. I finally watched an episode of House Hunters yesterday and for the first time, didn’t want to die. 

So on one of my last night’s living in Paris, I went out with my friends. We had reservations for Au Passage. It was just a few days after the Bataclan attack, and the restaurant was right down the street. But I had made the reservations weeks in advance and Parisiens are resilient. This is a city where people threw furniture out of their windows to block government advances, to the point that the city was redesigned and built with wide boulevards to prevent this from happening again. If you have never seen Les Miserable, you should, but if you have, the barricade scenes shows this perfectly. 

I got to the restaurant early, 7pm, before they opened, and was left standing in the street. The same street as the Bataclan. It was eerie, but it was amazing. Paris didn’t stop. Nothing can or could make it stop. My friends came shortly after, the restaurant opened, and we went in. 

The menu is just as it is in any Paris or French restaurant for the that matter. Everything looks incredible, you want to try it all, make a decision is taxing. Thankfully, this place was all about small plate that you could share. The French version of tapas.

Thank God.

We ordered everything. Things I would never have ordered and the things that I was dying to try. Everything, everything was delicious. Like over the top amazing. And the best thing we eat ate, at this dinner filled, with wild Boar and fish, and steak and everything else. Was the Brussel sprouts.

I hate Brussel sprouts. Don’t I?

They are never good, everyone is always trying to get you to like them. They are bitter and terrible. 

Nope.

The mantra of MarnaMaria is your favorite food is one you have never tried before. Or perhaps you think you don’t like a certain food, but in reality, it’s because you have never had it prepared in the right way.

I had a MarnaMaria moment right here. 

I cannot remember what they called this dish, it was so odd. It, to this day, was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I’ve tied to recreate, it, what I remember, (wine), and though not as good, it still blows people away when I make it. It’s great for the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving, you can make it anytime really. 

The ingredients? Brussel sprouts (duh), goat cheese, cilantro, candied almonds, and beurre blanc.

The angels are singing. 

Try it one, you will love it!!!

Also, here’s the address for Au Passage. I don’t know if the restaurant is still good, or it if even still exits. It’s Paris, things turn over quite quickly in that economic system. But if it is, and they still serve those Brussel sprouts, oh my gosh, you are in luck!!

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