One of my favorite people in the world writes one of my favorite food blogs in the world, The Hungry Hippo. Her resolution for 2013 is to make more of the recipes from the cookbooks she owns. These are cookbooks I love and I will sit for hours and browse them when I visit her (I can do this because she’s the one playing with my kids while I do). She posted this recipe a few weeks ago (from a Parisian cookbook, no less!) and I could not wait to try it.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients:
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups of cauliflower
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of flour
1 1/3 cups milk (I used whole)
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup cheese (according to the Hippo, the recipe called for gruyere, she used 1/3 C cheddar, 1/3 C parm and I used what I had in my fridge. I think it was jack and cheddar, maybe?) plus some extra for sprinkling
about 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
salt and pepper
sprinkle of nutmeg (I skipped this)
Directions
Wash and chop your veggies into same size florets.
Put some water on to boil and once it has come to a rolling boil, add the florets. Cook them for 1-2 minutes. Take them out immediately- you don’t want them to get mushy, just slightly less crisp.
Set them aside and work on the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When it has melted, add the flour and whisk together, letting it cook for a minute to get the raw flour taste out. Slowly whisk in the milk and let it thicken. Take your pan off the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking while you do. Try to avoid making scrambled eggs in your sauce. Add the cheese, again, whisking while you do so that it will melt evenly. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using).
I used ham in mine, even though the Hippo did not. I cubed a ham steak.
Then I added it to a hot frying pan to brown and crisp it over medium high heat.
Butter a casserole dish and add your veggies.
Sprinkle the ham around to fill in the spaces.
Mix your breadcrumbs with some of the cheese and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 400 until the top is golden brown and it’s heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
This could be a side dish but with the added meat, it can also be a lovely main dish. The egg yolks add a silkiness to the sauce that isn’t there in a basic white sauce.