Brussels Sprouts à la Maître d'Hôtel

Ingredients

• 500 grams Brussels sprouts (Trimmed — remove any tough outer leaves and cut a small cross in the base of each sprout to help them cook evenly.)
• 2 tablespoons butter (Unsalted butter works best so you can control the seasoning.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (Finely minced. Flat-leaf or curly parsley both work well.)
• 1 whole lime (You will use the juice only. Roll the lime firmly on the counter before cutting to get more juice out of it.)
• 1 to taste salt (Add a pinch at a time and taste as you go.)
• 1 to taste pepper (Freshly ground black pepper is ideal, but any ground pepper will work.)

Instructions

1. 1Rinse the Brussels sprouts under cold running water. Trim the tough, flat base off each sprout with a small knife and peel away any yellowed or damaged outer leaves. Score a small shallow cross into the flat base of each sprout — this helps the dense core cook at the same rate as the outer leaves. Set the prepared sprouts aside.
2. 2Finely mince the fresh parsley by gathering the leaves into a small pile and rocking your knife back and forth over them until they are very finely chopped. Set aside. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves — you can use a fork or your hand to help extract more juice. Remove any seeds. Set the juice aside.
3. 3Fill a medium saucepan with enough water to generously cover the sprouts and bring it to a full rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, carefully lower the prepared Brussels sprouts into the water. Boil for 8–10 minutes, or until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a sprout with little resistance — they should be tender but not mushy. Drain the sprouts immediately in a colander and leave them to steam-dry for 1–2 minutes. This stops them from becoming waterlogged.
4. 4Place the same saucepan back on the hob over medium heat and add the butter. Let it melt gently — it should foam slightly but not brown. Once the butter is fully melted and foamy, add the drained Brussels sprouts to the pan. Toss them in the butter by gently stirring or shaking the pan so each sprout is well coated. Continue for about 2 minutes until the sprouts are heated through and glossy with butter.
5. 5With the pan still on medium heat, scatter the minced parsley evenly over the sprouts and stir to combine. Then drizzle the lime juice over the sprouts and give everything a final gentle toss so the juice and parsley are distributed throughout. The lime juice will sizzle slightly when it hits the hot pan — this is normal.
6. 6Remove the pan from the heat. Taste one of the sprouts, then season with salt and pepper a little at a time, stirring and tasting between additions, until the flavour is balanced to your liking. Transfer immediately to a warm serving dish and serve straight away while hot.