We love the classic assemblage of in-season Brussels sprouts, maple syrup and bacon as much as the next food-loving Canadian, but when chefs offer up creative approaches to the seasonal side dish, we always get excited. 

In chef Mary Berg’s latest cookbook, the Masterchef Canada champion and host of CTV’s Mary Makes it Easy series reinterprets the conventional sweet and savoury flavour profile of the traditional trio and adds an additional element of nutty earthiness through the use of tahini dressing, resulting in a beautifully balanced accompaniment to any holiday meal. 

“Everyone and their brother knows what a Brussels sprout looks like. They’re tiny little cabbages that, if cooked by my mother in 1998, taste like an old shoe. But on their stalks, Brussels are one of the most fantastical Dr. Seuss-ian vegetables you’ll ever behold and, when cooked properly to crispy golden brown in a hot oven, their flavor is a revelation,” Berg explains in the recipe introduction. “Caesar salad purists may sneer, but the nutty and slightly bitter tahini plays off the sweetness of the crispy roasted Brussels sprouts and makes a perfect cold weather version of this classic salad.”