Glazed Baby Cabbage

Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe was given to me by Ruth in NC. Her DS and DIL both hate Brussels sprouts, but both have a bit of food snobbery…since baby veggies are being served in fine dining establishments, she told them they were baby cabbages… and yes…it is one of their favorite veggies when they visit Mom.
Ingredients You'll Need
3/4 lb fresh Brussels Sprouts…pick out the smallest ones…try to have uniform size.
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves
1 x 3" strip of orange peel
Heavy pinch of Kosher or sea salt
Water to cover
2 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, julienned
1 small sweet red pepper - ½ “ squares
8-10 fresh snow peas - julienned
1 T sesame seed
Red pepper flakes to taste - start with a pinch
Glaze:
2 T dark brown sugar
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 T melted unsalted butter
Top with:
3-4 strips of bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled
Directions
Cut the sprouts in half - through the stem -
put them in a saute pan along with the bay, cloves, peel and salt.
Add enough water to barely cover and cook gently till sprouts are crisp/tender.
Drain and discard water and aromatics.
Cover sprouts to keep them warm.
In the same pan, saute next 6 ingredients till onions are barely transparent.
In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients till smooth.
Add sprouts to pan, and stir to combine - add glaze, stir gently as you bring to a boil - turn off heat, continue stirring till boiling stops.
Turn into serving bowl and top with bacon crumbles.