Brussels Sprouts in Apricot Jam

My dad is a great cook. Between both of my parents, it's a miracle I don't weigh 300 pounds, because between the two of them, I'm pretty sure they can cook or bake anything. My mother does 100 percent of the baking duties, and growing up I'd eat a lot of very hearty, very American meals, usually a meat, a starch and a few vegetables. My father is about half Italian, and inherited that style of cooking, which he's also passed onto my mother. 

In a change of what I consider their typical kitchen roles, my dad set about to make pork roast, sweet potatoes, cranberry and apple stuffing, and some roasted Brussels sprouts serving as our green for dinner. 

While a lot of people don't like the bitterness of Brussels sprouts, I love them. They were even one of my favorite vegetables as a kid, and somehow I forgot about them for about 10 years until one day my roommate was cooking some. I tried one again and thought, "What have I been doing denying myself these delicious greens for so long?"

To balance some of that bitter, my dad decided to experiment and add some apricot fruit spread to the Brussels sprouts. Here is the ingredients list:

butter

Brussels sprouts

apricot jam

Very short, right? First my dad washed and halved the Brussels sprouts. 

He then added I'd estimate about three tablespoons of butter to a pan and turned the heat on. 

Once the butter was melted, he added the Brussels sprouts and cooked them until they were browned a bit on the outside and soft in the middle.

In a separate sauce pan, he put about a cup of apricot jam and heated it so it was warm and more fluid.

Here is where I think both he and I would recommend you diverge from how he actually cooked them. My dad added the heated apricot to the Brussels sprouts. It turns out when you do that, the Brussels sprouts absorb a lot of the jam and get a little soggy.

If we were to do it over, I think we'd plate the Brussels sprouts and drizzle the apricot over it, not using the entire mixture. Also, if one of my sisters was not a vegetarian, I'd like to see what this would taste like with bacon it. Bacon with Brussels sprouts is a very easy way to get anyone to find them more palatable. Perhaps I'd also add some ginger to the apricot jam.

Anyhow, the dish turned out having good flavor but was a touch soggy. This is a recipe for the drawing boards, but the entire meal turned out deliciously. My dad's pork was fantastic, as was the sweet potato. My mother, who has a bigger sweet tooth than I do, really liked the cranberry apple stuffing. I liked it, but in a smaller portion. 

Perhaps one day I'll expound on this recipe and give it another go! I'll see my family again in 10 weeks, so we'll see if I've got it nailed by then.