Revamped: Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts Tossed in a Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette with Bacon Lardons, Dried Cranberries, Candied Pecans, + Crispy Shallots

My recipe for Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts Tossed in a Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette with Bacon Lardons, Dried Cranberries, Candied Pecans, & Crispy Shallots is far and away my most requested + most loved recipe during the holiday season. So, when I started getting organized for our upcoming Thanksgiving meal, I noticed that this recipe is four years old and in need of a desperate "revamping". The recipe is only changed slightly, but I added more detailed instructions to help my follow readers! Like before, it requires the same maple-mustard vinaigrette because I think it pairs with the dish like no one's business... I guess if you're not a mustard fan, you could use a balsamic reduction because that would work quite easily. But really though, listen to me and all the fans of this dish and go with the homemade dressing! Mmk? Good... moving on. Concerning the candied pecans, I will leave that up to you and what you want to do. I personally make the candied pecans, but I have used store-bought candied pecans, and no one even noticed the difference. So, by all means, if you want to save time and cut a corner, then go for it! Now, in a small pan, over medium-low heat, you're going to caramelize + crisp up those thinly sliced yummy shallots; they really bring the dish to another level. Next up on the list is cooking a shit ton of bacon... because bacon makes everything better, duhhhh. Once your bacon lardons are crispy, strain them out of their fat onto a paper towel to dry, leaving the just-rendered bacon fat in the pan. That's when you get the trimmed + halved brussel sprouts and begin to pan fry ... in BACON FAT (dun dun dunnnnnn)! Like I've said, bacon makes everything better. Crisp up the sprout halves until they have begun to brown on their flat side, and then toss all of them around to cook the other side of the brussel sprout. I know some people like their brussel sprouts to have some al dente texture, while others prefer a softer finished product. Either way, just cook them until they have reached your desired doneness. If you don't have a large saute pan that can fit all of your brussel sprouts, you might have to do 2-3 batches of them. But, thats no biggie at all! Now it's time to assemble this yummy side dish. In a large mixing bowl, add in the bacon-fat fried brussel sprouts, bacon lardons, dried cranberries, crisped shallots, and chopped candied pecans... all that is left to do is to toss all of the components together while drizzling the maple-mustard vinaigrette evenly over the dish. I suggest that you start off with just a little, and add as you go until you have the perfect amount of dressing that coats everything beautifully. And wham, bam, thank ya ma'am... YOU'RE DONE!! If you want to get a head start on this dish you could easily do any of the following: trim and halve the brussel sprouts and place them into a ziploc bag, make the candied pecans, and whip up the maple-mustard vinaigrette in a mason jar and refrigerate it. That way, you'll have most of the components done + all ready to start cooking! I hope you enjoy this holiday side dish as much as everyone else does!! Enjoy :)

Mmm, bacon lardons

golden brown + crispy shallots 

My Famous Brussel Sprouts in 2015 

So yeah, you have to make these... You'll thank me later!

For the Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette:

2T EVOO

2T Apple Cider Vinegar

4T Maple Syrup

2t Dijon Mustard

2T Grainy Mustard

2t Garlic, Minced

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

For Candied Pecans:

1 ½C Pecans, Toasted

½C Sugar

Pinch of Salt, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cayenne, & Chili Powder (I did a large pinch)

For the Crispy Shallots:

4-6 Large Shallots, Thinly Sliced

3T Canola Oil

Kosher Salt

For the Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts:

1T EVOO

1.5lbs Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Lardons

2T Canola Oil

5lbs Brussel Sprouts, Trimmed and Halved

Prepared Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

1 ½C Dried Cranberries (save a handful for garnishing the dish)

Prepared Candied Pecans, Roughly Chopped (save a handful for garnishing the dish)

Prepared Crispy Shallots

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

1. For the Maple Mustard Vinaigrette: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until combined. Season it with salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate the dressing aside until ready to add to the brussel sprouts.

2. For the Candied Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until just toasted. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Meanwhile, pour the sugar into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon while the sugar melts. Keep stirring until the color turns a medium amber color. Once that color is reached, add in the pecans to the pan and quickly stir to coat. As soon as they are coated, spread them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Let them cool completely before adding them to the dish (after they have hardened, you can chose whether or not you want to chop them up or leave them whole).

3. For the Crispy Shallots: Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add in the canola oil. Next, toss in the thinly sliced shallots, along with a heavy pinch of salt and sauté them, stirring occasionally, until the shallots caramelize to a golden brown color and start to get a little crispy.  It is very important to not rush this process, so keep a constant eye on the shallots because they can burn quite quickly.  Remove the perfectly crisped shallots from the pan and put them into a bowl, and set them aside until you are ready to assemble the dish.

4. Crisping up the Bacon Lardons: In a large, deep sauté pan, bring the olive oil to medium-high heat and in the bacon cubes. Cook the bacon until they are very crispy and the bacon has rendered all of its fat. Remove the crispy bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate (leaving the fat in the pan).

5. For the Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts: Add in the vegetable oil into the rendered bacon fat and bring it to high heat. Gently place the halved brussel sprouts face side down (or the flat side), and season with salt & pepper. Cook them until they have browned and caramelized, and they have become slightly crispy in texture, about 10-15 minutes (if you have a big enough sauté pan to fit all of your brussel sprouts, then extend the time of cooking to 20-25 minutes; however, if you do not, then you will have to do several batches in order for all of the brussel sprouts to reach your required crispiness and doneness). After they have browned, using tongs, toss the brussel spouts to continue sautéing to cook the brussel sprouts all the way through, about 3-5 minutes (I prefer my brussel sprouts on the crisper side, but some people like to cook them longer until they are soft).

6. Assembling the Dish: Once they have all been cooked and have reached your desired doneness, remove the cooked brussel sprouts to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the prepared maple-mustard vinaigrette over the cooked brussel sprouts, tossing to cover all of them. Add in the bacon lardons, dried cranberries and chopped candied pecans, and toss once again. Season with salt & pepper if needed. Place the glazed brussel sprouts onto a serving platter and garnish with the remaining handfuls of dried cranberries, candied pecans and the crispy shallots. Serve immediately and enjoy while they are still warm!!

Revamped : Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Glaze

Revamped: Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Glaze

By far + away, the single-most FAVORITE recipe here on PLC are my Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. They are probably my greatest creation. Actually at the time when I first concocted the idea of this "dessert for breakfast", it was the only one on the internet. Now different versions are popping up EVERYWHERE. So, I am very proud to say that this was the ORIGINAL idea behind the celebrity. Anyway, I am a firm believer in that everything can be improved upon, so why not revamp the most visited recipe on my site? Well, it happened that my Mountain Man's place of work had a Valentine's Day Bake Off, so I knew I just had to enter my Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls to be judged. I changed a few things around a bit this time though. Firstly, I took out the cocoa powder in the dough. I felt like that made the cinnamon rolls a bit cake-y in texture, so I wanted to achieve a more yeasted cinnamon roll this time around. But of course, in order for it to be considered "red velvet", there's gotta be buttermilk, red dye, vinegar, and cocoa powder. Instead, I sifted cocoa powder on top of the butter, sugar and cinnamon for a lightly chocolatey filling. It was perfect. To make sure the rolls were extra puffy, I used instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, but either will work for y'all, I'm sure. Also, I felt like my cream cheese frosting was a tad bit thick last time, so this go-around, I whipped up a cream cheese icing glaze. It's still thick enough the coat the rolls, but it is thin enough that in seeps into the middle of the rolls... making them extra gooey. And that's all we want, amirite?! We added some cinnamon into our cream cheese glaze, for a little more spice, but you can easily leave it out, no worries!! As for the garnishes, we found some nifty red velvet cake sprinkles to sprinkle over the top to be super festive and they were awesome! But you can also use any Valentine's Day themed sprinkles or crushed red hots. It's up to y'all!! These are 10 times better than the original, so I hope y'all can get around to makin' them soon!! Enjoy (we sho' did) :)

roll out the red velvet dough with some flour...

spread the melted butter everywhere...

sift over some cocoa powder, cover with sugar, + sprinkle on a mess of
cinnamon (and press gently down so it adheres together)

and tightly roll them up...

so they look gorgeous like this...

and this...

then proof them, so they rise a bit and look like this...

then bake them until they are huge + puffy

and cover them in the cream cheese icing glaze...

and finish them with some sprinkles, butofcourse!

For the Cinnamon Rolls:

2C Buttermilk (minus 2T)

2T White Distilled Vinegar

½C Vegetable Oil

½C Sugar

2-3oz Red Food Coloring (or to the color of your liking)

1 Package of Instant or Active Dry Yeast (0.25oz Packets)

4C AP Flour + ½C AP Flour

½t Baking Powder, Heaping

½t Baking Soda, Scant

1t Salt, Heaping

1C Butter, Melted

1-2T Cocoa Powder (depending on how chocolate-y you like it)

1C Sugar

Generous Sprinkling of Cinnamon

For the Frosting:

4oz Cream Cheese, Softened

7T Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 ½C + 2T Confectioners’ Sugar

3-4T Buttermilk, For Thinning

1t Cinnamon (optional)

¼t Salt (or to taste)

1t Clear Vanilla Extract

Festive Valentine’s Day Sprinkles & Crushed Red Hot Candies, For Decoration

Directions:

1. Measure out the 2C buttermilk in a large measuring cup, and then remove 2T of the buttermilk and substitute by adding in the 2T of white vinegar. Mix the buttermilk, vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, and red food coloring in a pot. Heat the mixture until just before the boiling point. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, sift together the 4C AP flour and set it aside. When the milk mixture is warm (but not hot), sprinkle in the package of yeast. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then add in the sifted flour. Stir the mixture and cover, and then let it rise for at least an hour.

2. After rising for an hour, add in ½C AP Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the mixture together. Refrigerate the dough overnight to help it become firm and better for presentation.

3. The next day, sprinkle a rolling surface generously with flour. Take the dough and form a rough rectangle, and then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle or spread on 1C of the melted butter over the dough. Now, sift the cocoa powder over the butter, followed by sprinkling 1C of sugar over the cocoa and butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Press the spices lightly into the butter to make sure they adhere together.

4. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it. Spray a 13x9-baking pan with Pam, and set it aside. Then, begin cutting the rolls into approximately 12 thick round rolls and place them into the prepared buttered pans. Let the rolls rise for an hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-25 minutes or until light golden brown.

7. To Make the Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the clear vanilla extract and buttermilk, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Add in the cinnamon if you are using.

8. Spread the cinnamon rolls with the icing (generously), sprinkle with garnishes if using, and enjoy immediately while they are still warm.

Revamped : Christmas Pretzel Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Bittersweet Chocolate, Crunchy Toffee Chips, + Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel

Christmas Pretzel Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Bittersweet Chocolate,
Crunchy Toffee Chips, + Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel

A couple years ago, I made Salted Pretzel Toffee, and it was great. It had the slightest twist on the original classic, but I missed the texture of the crackers. While strolling through the grocery store yesterday, I saw Ritz Pretzel Crackers and my mind was blownnnnnn. And I feel like Christmas Toffee is a tradition in almost every household during the holidays. Everywhere I go, someone is making toffee. So I figured why not make another batch, but with these new crackers. Well, I took this version to a whole new level. It reaches a gratifying level of salty + sweet. The crackers are buttery, flaky, and have the slightest hint of salt. After I layer those into a pan, I boiled dark brown sugar, butter, and two vanilla beans to make my butterscotch sauce that covered the crackers and baked them just for a little bit, to make sure that it all set properly. On top of everything, I used one bag of high quality bittersweet chocolate + one bag of high quality milk chocolate. Once it melted, I spread it into a thin layer and generously topped it with crushed toffee bits and homemade vanilla bean fleur de sel!! This is what (Christmas) dreams are made of, people! It's so addicting that the whole bag will be gone within an hour. So why eat that boring old recipe, when you can have the gourmet edition. Oh and P.S. MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!! Enjoy :)

look at those toffee crunchy bits :)

For the Christmas Pretzel Toffee:

1 ½ Boxes of Ritz Pretzel Crackers (¾ of the crackers whole, ¼ of the crackers crushed)

4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

2C Dark Brown Sugar

2 Vanilla Beans, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½t Sea Salt

1 Bag of Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 Bag of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Bag of Toffee Bits

Homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. For the Toffee: Line a baking sheet with a Silpat and arrange the whole crackers in an even layer, and then sprinkle the remaining crushed crackers into any cracks or holes, so that the whole tray is filled.

3. For the Butterscotch Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and salt together and boil until it turns a caramel color and is smooth in texture (whisking the entire time). This will take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the caramel over the crackers, covering them evenly.

4. Baking the Toffee: Put the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until just bubbly, making sure to watch it very carefully. Remove from the oven and sprinkle both types of chocolate chips over the crackers. The chocolate should start to melt, but if isn’t melting fast enough, you can pop it back in the oven for another minute or two, and that should make it spreadable enough. When the chips have melted, spread them in an even layer over the top with a rubber spatula. Immediately sprinkle the bag of toffee bits and fleur de sel over the melted chocolate and just slightly press the bits into the chocolate, making sure that they will stick to the chocolate once everything has cooled & hardened.

5. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until completely cold. Once cold, break them or cut them up into small squares or pieces and enjoy!

Revamped: Boozy Low Country Boil with Homemade Tartar Sauce + Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce

Boozy Low Country Boil with Homemade Tartar Sauce + Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce

Welp folks, it was a hell of a weekend. I can't believe another famous St. Patty's Day celebration in Savannah is in the books... and unfortunately, we have to wait a whole year to have it back. My liver, and my body as a whole, is happy. But I'm sure I'll find another way to make up for its absence. Otherwise, it was a textbook Irish celebration, filled with bar hopping, drink making, and wearing green. To make life easier on ourselves, we decided to make a classic Low Country Boil for lunch/dinner after the parade. This is by far the best decision we have ever made, simply because it's not that high maintenance... all you do is throw a bunch of crap in a pot and pour it on a table. Done + done. I know that I have already featured a Low Country Boil recipe a while back, but it needed some revamping (we like to do that a lot around this joint) by adding a whole mess of beer and spices. But, what really put it over the top was the homemade dipping sauces that accompanied the meal. To be quite frank, those guys stole the show. I started off by making a classic garlic aioli and added some pickles and capers to make a classic, but divine, tartar sauce. I'm telling you, making the mayonnaise from scratch is key to everything here people, it's worth the extra 10 minutes of whisking. After the tartar sauce was finished, I moved onto my Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce. This was my favorite, but it does come with a fair warning... it will knock your socks off. Now that we have addressed that issue, I can say I couldn't get enough of the stuff. It was lip-burning, tongue-scorching, sinus-clearing spicy. And in our world, that is a very, very good thing. Between the Sriracha, Chili-Garlic Sauce, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, horseradish, and my secret ingredient, wasabi paste... this bad boy had a kick that won't quit. If you don't want a tear-inducing sauce, I suggest you start with a little bit at a time until you have found the spice level that y'all like. Besides that, this Boozy Low Country Boil is made extra special with lots o' beer, spices, and high-quality ingredients. It was the perfect way to eat on a hot Savannah day, and hey, it certainly helped us to sober up before the night's partying. Also, what is more satisfying with eating food off the table, with bare hands and an ice cold beverage? Nothin' gets better than that, take my word for it!! Enjoy y'all :)

Oh, we were ready to dig in alright. 

Georgia Shrimp. Potatoes. Vidalia Onions. Sweet Corn. Smoked Sausage. 

How easy is that? Almost too easy. 

Homemade Tartar Sauce 

Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce

For the Homemade Tartar Sauce:

1 Egg Yolk

1t White Vinegar

1 ½t Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¼t Dijon Mustard & Sugar

4 Garlic Cloves, Minced into a Paste (with a little bit of sea salt)

½t Salt

¾C Canola Oil

½C Pickles, Cut into Small Cubes

3T Capers, Finely Chopped

1T Minced Shallots

1 Lemon, Zested (and you can use a little juice to taste)

¼t Worcestershire Sauce & Hot Sauce

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce:

1C Ketchup

¼C Sriracha + 2T Asian Chili-Garlic Sauce

Prepared Horseradish, To Taste (we like a lot of horseradish)

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Lemon, Zested & Juiced

1T Worcestershire & Hot Sauce

1t Red Pepper Flakes & Paprika

1T Wasabi Paste (we like it to blow our heads off)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Boozy Low Country Boil:

4Q Beer (or enough to completely cover all of the food in the pot)

¼C Soy Sauce & Hot Sauce

2T Old Bay Seasoning

2 Shrimp or Crab Boil Bags

3lbs Small Red Potatoes (or you can cut bigger potatoes in half)

2 Vidalia Onions, Cut into Medium Chunks

10 Large Cloves of Garlic

2 Packages of Conecuh Smoked Sausage, Cut into 1inch Pieces

6 Ears of Corn, Cut into Small Rounds

2 Lemons, Cut into Medium Chunks

3lbs Fresh Wild Georgia Shrimp, Unpeeled but Deveined

For Serving:

Cajun Seasoning, For Sprinkling (we love Tony’s)

Homemade Herbed Compound Butter, Melted

Homemade Tartar Sauce, For Dipping

Homemade Wasabi Cocktail Sauce, For Dipping

Lemon Wedges, For Squeezing

Hot Sauce, For Dipping

Newspaper & Paper Towels (for the table)

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Tartar Sauce: Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C e oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ½C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Season it with any additional spices to taste. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

2. For the Homemade Wasabi-Cocktail Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and add in as much prepared horseradish as you want; stir to combine. We like a lot of horseradish, wasabi, and spice, so this sauce is quite pungent & spicy (make sure to season a little at a time until you have reached your desired taste). Refrigerate the sauce until you are ready to serve.

3. For the Boozy Low Country Boil: Fill a large pot with the beer and whisk in the soy sauce, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add in the boil bags and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add in the potatoes, sausage, onion pieces, and garlic cloves. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Next, add in the corn and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Throw in the lemon chunks and the shrimp and cook for just 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp have just turned pink. Drain the low country boil and pour out onto a table that is lined with newspaper. Heavily sprinkle the boil ingredients with Cajun seasoning. Drizzle some of the melted herbed compound butter over the ingredients or serve it on the side for the corn. Put all of the homemade dips on the table, along with lemon wedges and hot sauce. Enjoy it while it is still hot, and with a lot of paper towels and cold beer!

We came. We saw. We conquered.

Even dogs try to sneak a bite!