Brussels Sprouts Braised in Butter

This is my interpretation of a method described for cooking braised Brussels Sprouts described in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There are a few steps involved, but is not that time consuming and will result in perfectly cooked Brussels Sprouts; they never come out grey-ish, limp, or bitter tasting.

Obtain the freshest Brussels sprouts possible.  Peak season in the US is September through February.  If you can find fresh, locally grown Brussels sprouts, you will taste the difference.  Using similar sized heads will ensure that they are all cooked consistently - the larger ones take longer to cook.  If you purchase a whole branch, you will have varying sized heads and my want to cook them in separate batches.

1 to 2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
4-5 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Prepare the Brussels sprouts by trimming the base off of each sprout.  Some of the outer leaves will fall away - discard these (our dogs love them!).  Remove any wilted or yellowish leaves.  Pierce a cross in the base so that it cooks evenly.

Bring a large kettle of salted water to a rapid boil.   Julia's recipe calls for 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water.  If the large kettle holds 8 quarts, this would be 4 tablespoons of salt.  We use much less salt than that (if any).

Blanch the sprouts by dropping them into the rapidly boiling water and letting them cook for 6-8 minutes, until very green and almost tender.  The time will vary with the size and the age of the sprouts.  Drain the sprouts in a colander, and spread them out on a cloth (not touching) to cool.  This allows them to cool quickly to retain their color an texture (Julia's book says that the texture of the sprouts is better cooled with this method rather than rinsing them with cold water).  Once cooled they can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before completing the cooking.  If they are to be used immediately, let them cool on the towel for about 20-30 minutes before continuing.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Smear 1-1/2 tablespoons softened butter in a casserole or baking dish that can be used on the stove and in the oven.  Smear the butter on the bottom and up the sides, as high as the Brussels sprout will touch.  Line the Brussels sprouts in 1 layer in the dish, stems down (a second layer can be used if the dish is too small, but I think it works best with 1 layer).   Sprinkle with salt and pepper and distribute 2-4 tablespoons of melted butter over the heads.  Cover and heat on the stove until they begin to sizzle, then place in the middle of the preheated oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes until tender.  Serve immediately.