Broccoli Au Gratin
Broccoli Au Gratin is a delicious dish of American favorite vegetable topped with amazing cheesy sauce that is baked to perfection. Few simple ingredients mixed with sophisticated Gruyere cheese makes this dish both rustic and elegant. Even broccoli skeptics can become fans.
Broccoli Au Gratin is a delicious dish of American favorite vegetable topped with amazing cheesy sauce that is baked to perfection. Few simple ingredients mixed with sophisticated Gruyere cheese makes this dish both rustic and elegant. Even broccoli skeptics can become fans.
- Carbohydrate 10.1172832506252 g
- Cholesterol 27.2515625166847 mg
- Fat 9.65555613076431 g
- Fiber 0.00103999996185303 g
- Protein 3.92458887829229 g
- Saturated Fat 5.88321450345456 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (132g)
- Sodium 107.280943287266 mg
- Sugar 10.1162432506634 g
- Trans Fat 0.85672312555618 g
- Calories 141 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 400 F
- Place broccoli in boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, strain though colander
- In a pan melt the butter, add flower and whisk until combined
- Cook it for about 5-6 minutes
- Meanwhile heat up the milk and add 1 cup at the time
- Stir it constantly to avoid any lumps
- Cook for about 10 minutes to make sure that all raw flour taste is gone
- Take off the heat
- Season with salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg
- Add 1 cup of cheese and stir to combine
- Divide broccoli between 2 ramekins
- Spoon the sauce on top of the broccoli
- Add more cheese and black pepper
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet and put into the oven
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly
Operating within a strict thirty-minute total window requires precise timing, beginning with a five-minute blanch for the broccoli florets to arrest enzymatic browning while maintaining structural integrity. Plunging the green clusters into boiling water activates bright pigments before straining them thoroughly in a colander. Excess moisture remaining on the vegetable will thin the dairy emulsion, making a dry drain step mandatory.
Substitutions demand careful navigation of fat ratios and melting points when replacing Gruyère cheese. Fontina or a young Emmental will mimic the original melt-ability at a one-to-one ratio, whereas sharp cheddar introduces higher oil separation that alters the sauce viscosity. Whisking all-purpose flour into melted butter for five to six minutes cooks out the raw starch flavor before warm milk is introduced gradually to prevent lumping.
Judging doneness relies entirely on visual and auditory cues since internal temperature probes are unnecessary for vegetable gratins baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch for bubbling edges and a deeply golden-brown surface crust developing across the fifteen-minute baking period. Such color changes signal that the dairy proteins have achieved proper Maillard browning.
Portioning the mixture into two individual ramekins increases the surface area-to-volume ratio, yielding a higher proportion of crispy cheese topping per serving than a single deep casserole dish. Placing those ceramic vessels on a baking sheet simplifies oven transfer and catches any bubbling cream overflow before it hits the heating elements.
