When browsing through hundred-year-old cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Sauce Piquante. Sauce Piquante is known for its complex, spicy flavor. Since many old-time sauce recipes make very mild and delicate sauces, I was intrigued by this recipe and decided to give it a try.
The Brussels Sprouts with Sauce Piquante was excellent. The delightful, tangy sauce worked well with the earthy, slightly bitter Brussels sprouts. I may not see many old recipes for spicy sauces, but based on how well this recipe turned out, cooks a hundred-years ago definitely knew how to make lovely, lively sauces.
Here is the original recipe:
The recipe calls for “mustard.” It does not say whether it is for dry mustard or prepared mustard. In general, hundred-year-old recipes call mustard in a jar “prepared mustard,” so I assumed that the recipe author was referring to dry mustard.
Since the Brussels sprouts were boiled in salted water, adding an additional 1 teaspoon of salt in the sauce seemed like a lot, so I reduced it to 1/2 teaspoon when I updated the recipe.
I didn’t use a double boiler when I made the sauce. Rather I cooked the sauce using medium-low heat while stirring constantly.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Brussels Sprouts with Piquante Sauce
1 quart (about 1 pound) Brussels sprouts
water and 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon, chopped parsley (or use parsley flakes)
1/2 teaspoon onion juice (or use finely minced onions or onion powder)
Step 1. Trim Brussels sprouts and remove any damaged outer leaves. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and drain.
Step 2. In the meantime, put the olive oil, vinegar, beaten eggs, dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, powdered sugar, and paprika in a saucepan. Stir to combine, then heat using medium-low heat until the mixture thickens while stirring constantly. (If the thickened sauce is lumpy, strain and then return the sauce to the saucepan.)
Step 3. Add the melted butter, curry powder, chopped parsley/parsley flakes, and onion juice/minced onions/onion powder to the sauce. Stir to combine; heat with medium-low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture is hot and just beginning to bubble.
Step 4. Put the cooked Brussels sprouts in a serving dish, then pour the sauce over Brussels sprouts. Serve immediately.
I hate Brussels sprouts, but I love that I can tell you that with a comment!
I’m not a fan of Brussels sprouts, but your recipe could make them better.