Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Eat your sprouts
Check out the Capital Grille’s recipe.
Q. A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at The Capital Grille in Fort Lauderdale. We ordered a side of Brussels sprouts, which were outstanding. They looked like sautéed mushrooms. I really would like to have the recipe for them if at all possible. I don’t even like Brussels sprouts, or so I thought, until I had these. Any chance you can get the recipe? — Brad Mathers, Fort Lauderdale
A. The combination of frying and soy glaze gives the sprouts a dark appearance, which is probably why Brad thought the Brussels sprouts looked mushrooms. But after one bite he became a sprout loving convert. Brad’s reaction to the Brussels sprouts didn’t surprise The Capital Grille’s (multiple locations nationwide, thecapitalgrille.com) executive chef and partner, Gilbert “Gil” Suarez. Suarez, who is based out of the Boca Raton restaurant (Boca Town Center Mall, 6000 Glades Road Boca Raton, 561-368-1077), explains what makes his Brussels sprouts unique.
“People love our Brussels sprouts. I think it’s because of the technique we use to prepare them. We use three different cooking methods — blanching, frying and sautéing. Blanching cooks the sprouts slightly, which reduces the time needed for frying so they’re less oily. Frying briefly blisters the leaves, creating a crispy texture and forces the leaves to open and separate. This allows the glaze to flow in between the leaves when they are finished by sautéing. They really are delicious.”