I speak for Amy as well when I say we had a bit too much fun on Cinco (y seis… y siete) de Mayo… so naturally come Sunday afternoon bourbon seemed like a reeeaaally bad ingredient choice.

Late Sunday afternoon I experimented with a couple of recipes, but nothing was working out… by the time my bedtime (8:30PM sharp) rolled around I had still accomplished nada.

After some googling at work today, I found a recipe for “Triple B” (bacon, bourbon and bread crumbs — how bad could that be??) Brussels Sprouts from Chef Jason Wilson of Crush restaurant in Seattle, Washington. I decided to give it a whirl, of course hoping that all of the alcohol would cook out.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
2 strips bacon, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Put the butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped bacon and sweat it for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add the brussels sprouts and thoroughly coat them with the butter/oil/bacon mixture.

After they have cooked for a few minutes, add the shallots and garlic. After another few minutes, add the thyme and bourbon. Let this mixture simmer for about three minutes until it has reduced. Add the cream and bay leaf, and simmer for about four minutes, stirring to incorporate the flavors. Top with bread crumbs.

Put the entire pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. I then put the broiler on for an additional two minutes for some added crispness.

Serve hot and enjoy! You can really taste the bourbon in these, but thankfully the other ingredients take the edge off…