Jaleo's Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

We instantly fell in love with this warm salad the first time we had it at Jose Andres's restaurant Jaleo in Las Vegas. Every time we go back for dinner, we always make sure this dish is part of our meal. The brussels sprouts are blanched in hot water and then tossed with sweet green grapes, apricots, green apples, serrano ham and then finished with a light vinaigrette. I found the recipe online and decided to recreate it for a dinner party we were hosting. We didn't have any serrano ham so we opted for a thick slice of pancetta instead.

While all the components were spot on, I'm not sure if the sherry vinaigrette in this particular recipe is the same as Jaleo's. It tasted more acidic than I remember. I whisked in a couple of teaspoons of honey into the dressing and liked it much better but it was still not as yummy as Jaleo's. I will definitely need to find a better vinaigrette for this salad for our next run.

Jaleo's Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
adapted from The Gourmet Review

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 tablespoon Sherry vinegar 
2 tsp honey
Sea salt to taste 
3 ounces brussels sprouts leaves
Diced pancetta, pan-fried, with the oil reserved
3 dried apricots, diced, rehydrated 
2 tablespoons diced Granny Smith apples 
2 tablespoons green grapes, halved 

Directions
Whisk together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, honey and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch brussels sprout leaves for 1 minute. Drop into an ice bath to cool completely. Remove from the water, strain well and set aside. Just before serving, drop the brussels sprouts in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Remove with a strainer and dry slightly on a towel. Combine the brussels sprouts in a bowl with the apricots, apples, pancetta, oil and grapes. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve warm.

The warm brussels sprouts salad served as the starter for our dinner party, followed by 72-hour sous vide korean short ribs, polenta, cauliflower, yuzu sorbet and olive oil cake.