I would have never imagined that I’d find myself daydreaming about Brussels sprouts one day.

It happens to me a lot with ice cream, Nutella-filled mini doughnuts, bagels and Korova cookies, but never with Brussels sprouts.

That was until I took a chance and tried the Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts recipe from Molly Stevens’ “All About Braising”.

I ordered the book back in the summer and waited anxiously for the winter months to come. This is one of the few recipes I’ve tried from the book, but I can already say this: If you can only buy one cookbook this winter, this should be it.

Braising is an uncomplicated and miraculous cooking technique that will put every ignored vegetable in your refrigerator to good use and flavor even the cheapest cut of meat. The book starts with a very thorough explanation of the technique and teaches you the principles needed to master the art of braising.  There are 125 recipes in total – from meat and poultry through seafood and vegetables.

So how do these tiny green bastards become so utterly delicious? First they take a hot, creamy bath and just when they start going into a deep sleep, you wake them up with several squirts of lemon juice and suddenly, they are alive again.

I’ve so far prepared this dish three times and made a few changes along the way. First of all, I like my vegetables a bit undercooked so that I still get to bite into them. Thus, I reduced the braising time from the original 30-35 minutes to only 10. Also, the recipe calls for a cup of heavy cream, -and I would have also never imagined I’d be saying this- but I’ve found the result a bit heavy for my liking. I then reduced the heavy cream to quarter of a cup and used a combination of whole milk and vegetable broth for the remainder of the braising liquid. The resulting dish is sensational.

You know deep in your heart that you want to love Brussels sprouts, too. And if this recipe doesn’t do it, nothing ever will. Enjoy!