Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Honey -- The Pecan Tree in the Yard and Everything It Means

Late March 2022. The index card project is complete. Forty-seven cards, forty-seven recipes, forty-seven posts on the blog. The response has been extraordinary and sustained. Several publications have asked to excerpt sections. Dr. Ochoa suggested turning it into a book. I am thinking about what that would mean.

The dissertation is in its final stage: one more chapter and then defense. Dr. Ochoa says I could defend in June. June. I will have a doctorate in June. I will be Dr. Clarke. I have been practicing saying that in the bathroom mirror and it feels both impossible and entirely right at once. That is how most true things feel when they first arrive.

Sunday this week was extraordinary in the way that Sunday in late March is extraordinary in Alabama: warm and clear, the azaleas just at their peak, the air smelling like something you forgot you missed all winter. Gloria and I sat on the back porch after dinner, which we rarely do, and James joined us with his sweet tea, and we sat there in the late afternoon sun and said almost nothing and I looked at her face and his face and the pecan tree in the yard and I thought: this is my life. This specific thing, this afternoon, these people, is my life. I chose it and it chose me back and I am keeping it for as long as I can. For as long as I can. For always.

That pecan tree kept coming back to me all week — the way it sat there in the yard like it had always known something I was just figuring out. When I went to cook that Sunday, I wanted something that honored the whole of it: the sweetness, the earthiness, the sense of things coming into their right shape at last. Brussels sprouts with pecans and honey felt exactly right — a little bitter, a little rich, softened by something golden, the way a good season tends to be.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Honey

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss halved Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Spread cut-side down in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Roast. Roast for 20–25 minutes, without stirring, until the cut sides are deep golden and caramelized and the outer leaves are lightly crisped.
3. Toast the pecans. While Brussels sprouts roast, add chopped pecans to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
4. Make the honey glaze. In the same skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and add garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until softened and fragrant. Stir in honey and apple cider vinegar and cook another 30 seconds until the glaze just begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
5. Combine and serve. Transfer roasted Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl. Pour honey butter glaze over top and toss gently to coat. Scatter toasted pecans over the top. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately while warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 235 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 180mg