Brussels sprout salad w/ mustard vinaigrette

My first addition to this blog is a brussels sprouts salad that I made over my winter break for a friend's Christmas party/potluck. It was very well-received. This winter season is the first time I've started eating brussel sprouts after hearing so much about them from my friends. They are very nutritious (high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid and fiber) and as long as you don't cook them for too long, they are delicious! Most people think they taste funny, but this is because they usually cook them for too long. Cooking them for too long releases glucosinolate sinigrin, which has a sulfurous odor. Trader Joe's sells brussels sprout stalks quite cheaply, and I believe they are still in season right now.

The recipe I am sharing below was featured in the LA Times. They adapted the recipe from La Grande Orange Café in Pasadena. I adapted the mustard vinaigrette from another recipe I found instead of using the one they recommended. I also think Song-My's mustard vinaigrette's recipe would work great as well! (and may be simpler to make)

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• maple syrup (honey/agave would work well too i think)

Salad

• 1 pound brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon dried blueberries
• 2 tablespoons whole almonds, toasted (preferably California or Spanish Marcona)
• 1 ounce Manchego cheese, shaved using a peeler (Trader Joe's sells Manchego)

Directions

1. Put the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and mustard into a small mason jar, along with the salt and pepper. Put on the lid and shake that jar until the vinaigrette has come together. Add maple syrup and shake again. Keep adding maple syrup until it tastes good!
2. Peel the leaves from the Brussels sprouts until you reach the core. This is an excruciatingly slow process, but the presentation is beautiful. (Although you can discard the core, I saved the brussels sprouts core and later chopped them up and stir-fried them with bacon.)
3. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the Brussels sprouts leaves just until they are a vibrant (beautiful) green and barely tender. Drain immediately and place in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry well. You should have 3 cups of leaves.
   
4. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts leaves, cranberries, blueberries, almonds and just enough vinaigrette to lightly moisten. (Side tip: Alice Waters says that the best way to dress a salad is to use your hands, and to dress each ingredient separately so that the dressing gets dispersed throughout the salad and through each ingredient's texture. I follow this religiously.)
5. Mound the salad on a plate, and top with the cheese shavings. Serve and savor immediately... :)