Broccoli and Brie cheese gratin
Unlike many "on the go" simple foods I make for myself this I don't want to go unnoticed. It made a beautiful, simple and delicious dinner. Together with a glass of cider it even made me nostalgic about France. You just need to like both broccoli and cheese to enjoy as much as I did.
Broccoli and Brie cheese gratin (recipe is now growing usual for me)
serves 2
200 g broccoli (fresh or frozen)
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
50 g spinach leaves
2 tbs vegetable oil
100 g Ram Brie
salt
freshly ground black pepper
for the bechamel sauce (I use the recipe from Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques):
20 g flour
20 g butter
300 g milk
tiny pinch of ground nutmeg
salt
Separate the broccoli into florets. Peel and quarter the shallots. Peel and bruise the garlic cloves. Arrange the broccoli, shallots and garlic in a rectangular baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Bake at 200C for 20 min.
While the veggies are cooking, make the bechamel sauce. In a small pan melt the butter on medium low heat. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring till it gets ivory color.
Take the pan off the heat and let cool for some half a minute (to prevent the lumps). Pour in the milk and whisk till the flour dissolves into it. Return the pan to low heat and cook whisking constantly for some 5 minutes till the sauce thickens. Add the nutmeg and salt to taste.
Take the baking out of the oven. Reduce the heat to 180C. Cover the vegetables with spinach leaves and Brie cheese chopped into 2 cm pieces.
Pour over the bechamel, trying to evenly spread it. Bake for another 15-20 min and take out. Let it stand for 5 minutes and done.
The gratin is best if you eat right from the baking dish. That's why in France, you'll see them cooked right in individual (most of the time clay) baking dishes. Still sizzling and incredibly hot - delicious. So if you have individual baking dishes, you might find them useful here.
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