Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds broccoli (about 4 heads), cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
- 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Directions
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish or an 8-cup gratin dish.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the white sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, bring about 1-inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan and set up a collapsible steamer on top. Put the broccoli in the steamer and season with salt. Cover, and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Put the broccoli in the prepared dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour on the sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Cover the gratin with the bread crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Copyright 2005 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
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By rosy.girl
on December 27, 2012
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Good dish. I made a few modifications. I melted all the cheese in the sauce, added water chestnuts to the recipe and reduced the salt. I also used panko breadcrumbs.
By Halomoon
Miami
on December 25, 2012
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Sensational! I used 1 lb broccoli and 1 lb cauliflower just to be playful - really any hearty vegetable that can withstand the broiling without being mushy would taste delicious with this sauce mixture. I used almond milk in place of whole milk (still very creamy, used a mix of monterrey jack and cheddar cheese, and panko bread crumbs. The results were incredible and it was the hit of my Christmas meal! I love a mean gratin recipe and I'm glad to add this one to my arsenal!
By CLShearn
Chicago, IL
on September 16, 2012
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I made this recipe for a dinner party this evening. Given the number of people, I doubled the recipe, but rather that using twice as much broccoli, I use 2 pounds of cauliflower. Like others who reviewed this recipe, I used skim milk for the sauce and it still turned out very creamy. Also used cheddar cheese and a white cheese from our local farmer's market. The dish turned out wonderful!
Read all 21 reviews