Brussels Sprouts & Gruyère Cheese Casserole

Gruyère is one of the most famous Swiss cheeses. It is made from cow's milk and has a nutty, slightly sweet taste with complex musty and mushroomy notes. Don't substitute or scrimp on this ingredient. Although Gruyère is an expensive cheese, it it worth the investment and will raise the lowly sprout to an exalted state. Although I didn't think so at first, an 8-oz package of Gruyère gave me easily four cups of cheese once shredded.

The original recipe called for almonds, and I didn't have in my pantry. I used black walnuts instead. Although that worked, I think almonds would stand up better to the cooking process and would have given the dish a little more crunch and possibly a better flavor. Walnuts are a little bitter, although the roasting process took out some of that raw taste and added some savory notes to the dish. I made this recipe to accompany the lamb recipe that follows.

Ingredients
1 lb fresh Brussels Sprouts
1/2 cup almonds or walnuts
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups Gruyère Cheese, shredded
4 oz butter
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)

The Recipe
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and halve Brussels Sprouts, removing any woody part of the base where it was cut from the stems. Drop into salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes just until tender. Remove immediately to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Toast almonds or walnuts in shallow roasting pan at 350 degrees for seven minutes. Allow to cool. Chop up in a food processor by pulsing 4-5 times. Do not pulverize or over-process.

In a mixing bowl, add the pepper, nutmeg, egg yolk, cream, mayonnaise and stir until creamy, then fold in 2 cups of the Gruyère cheese.

Add the Brussels Sprouts to the mixture and fold over to evenly coat and distribute the sprouts. Fold the mixture into a shallow baking dish that has been coated with the non-stick cooking spray. Top with the one remaining cup of cheese and sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Cut the 4 oz of butter into small chunks and dot the top of the casserole with the butter.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until browned and bubbly.