Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Garlic and Black Pepper Broccoli Gratin

  
I love broccoli.  My husband and kids....not so much. I normally get upset when my family refuses to eat certain foods, but in the case of broccoli....I don't mind at all.  That bubbly, cheesy, golden gratin up there was all mine. It sure is nice not to share sometimes.

In my opinion, broccoli calls for garlic so I took a basic recipe for broccoli gratin and added lots of garlic and of black pepper.  I love potatoes and all, but this broccoli gratin really blows any potato gratin out of the water.  I enjoyed  this 10 times better than your traditional au gratin potatoes. I think this would be a terrific holiday side dish.              

Garlic and Black Pepper Broccoli Gratin
Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros
Serves 4

Garlic & Black Pepper Bechamel Sauce:
3-1/2 tablespoons butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk, warmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

4-1/2 cups broccoli florets

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 4-cup shallow ovenproof dish that is suitable to take directly to the table.  To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Add in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk.  It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other.  When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt and pepper, and continue cooking even after it comes to a boil, for 5 minutes or so, mixing all the time.  It should be a very thick and smooth sauce.  Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese (reserving some or grating extra for the top).  Set sauce aside.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, and cook the broccoli for a few minutes until it has softened a little but is still bright green.  Lift broccoli out with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain off, and put it in the baking dish.  (Save the broccoli water for cooking rice or pasta, or adding to a roast instead of water).

Place the sauce over the broccoli, leaving some florets still showing.  Top with additional Parmesan cheese, and a little more black pepper.  Bake for about 30 minutes and then serve hot.  If necessary, broil for a minute or two to lightly brown the top.



Theme: Potluck




23 comments:

  1. So happy I found you on Apples and Twinkies, you've got yourself a new follower! This looks fabulous :)
    xo Jessica @ Cajunlicious

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know what? There's about a handful of veggies that the whole family "agrees" on...and broccoli happens to be one of them. I see this in our near future. Looks creamy and fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now THAT makes me want to eat my broccoli!! And not share it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks so cheesy, hard to believe there is only 1/2 cup of cheese in there! Looks tempting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. holy cow, pass the dish please...yum

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my gosh, Kim! I would pass over the taters for this broccoli gratin any day of the week! Gorgeous shots too! Did you get a new camera or just became a super photographer? Just lovely! Sorry for my absence from commenting; my life has been insane (in a good way tho!). Miss your blog posts and hope to catch up reading! Merry, merry Christmas!!!! Hugs, Roz

    ReplyDelete
  7. Uhhhh... do you have any leftovers? 'cause I really would like this... right now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would much rather have a broccoli gratin than a potato gratin also! I'll always have a soft spot for broc and cheese...there's no getting around it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Drool. I could do some serious damage to this dish.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yeah, it's not often a picture of a veggie dish can make my mouth drool, but I am now officially craving broccoli now (and it's only 6:00am)!

    ReplyDelete
  11. My partner absolutely adores broccoli - without question his favourite vegetable. I on the other hand, like it, but it's not my favourite. This however looks like my dream broccoli dish. I'll definitely be giving a try and G & I can fight over it xo

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my. Charles and I both love broccoli, and cheese. This looks like it would be a great holiday side, too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like broccoli, sadly it does not feel the same about me. ;-( However, I might risk the stomach ache for this dish--it looks so tempting. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have no doubt this would be a huge hit at our house. It looks amazing. I think it might have to make an appearance here over the holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  15. One of my favourite plates from childhood was gratin cabbage it's very difficult to get the point of taste. Your blog sees impressive. Congratulations from Spain www.buenoparacomer.blogspot.com

    Montse Migoya

    ReplyDelete
  16. Look at this. Many helpers are be okay
    봐보세요. 많은 도움이 되실꺼여요

    http://youtu.be/zXKV78VERio

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's the same video would know something important

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hope you do find out it's a surprise

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm wondering what you mean to say that people

    ReplyDelete
  21. What it's trying to say is very important

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to
    assist with SEO? I'm trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I'm not seeing very good
    success. If you know of any please share. Thank you!
    Also visit my weblog ... Clean my pc

    ReplyDelete
  23. I like your suggestions they are really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this post.
    Leading Black Pepper Wholesale Supplier in Kerala

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! At the moment I am having a huge problem with spam so I've had to add comment moderation and close off comments to anonymous users. I apologize for the trouble and hope to return my comments to normal shortly.