Broccoli Parmesan Gratin

February 18, 2009 | By Nick | 5 Comments

I’ve never at all had a problem eating vegetables. In fact, I usually crave them. That said, I do have a few friends (Hi Scott) that absolutely will not touch vegetables. Especially green ones that rhyme with Choccoli.

For those people that do not under any circumstances eat vegetables, let me introduce you to something:

Eat your vegetables!

I don’t understand how anyone could not like this dish. It is cheesy and delicious! If a broccoli-hater were forced to eat this blind-folded, I imagine they might say: “Oh wow. That tastes like pure cheesy Heaven!” And then they would open their eyes and see all that green and probably pretend they don’t like it, but secretly sneak some into their backpack.

Broccoli Gratin (From Gourmet Feb. 2009)

- 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 Cup whole milk
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 1 Cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I wanted to beef this up a bit so I used 3/4 cup Parm and 3/4 cup Gruyere.)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Cup bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

We are going to use both the florets of the broccoli and the stems. Be sure to peel the stems with a veggie peeler or knife and then cut the stems into 1/2 inch sections.

Choppin' BROCCOLI. Choppin' Broccoley. Choppin. Chop. Huh.

Choppin' BROCCOLI. Choppin' Broccolai...

If the above caption is lost on you, here ya go:

I think this video is actually impossible to watch and not laugh at. I’ve tried around 100 times. Impossible. Also, Hulu is really cool. You can embed video with place markers so it starts right where you want it to. I’m such a dork.

Choppin. Chop. HUH.

Ok. Back to the recipe. Mix up all of your other ingredients except the broccoli, bread crumbs and oil in a bowl.

A simple cheese custard.

Then you need to pre-cook your broccoli. Boil all the pieces in slightly salted water for about 5 minutes or until they are tender. Then move them to a 9 X 9 casserole dish.

Steamin' broccoli. Steamin' BROCCOLAI. I'll stop.

Then pour your cheese sauce over the broccoli. It’s that simple! If you have large slices of cheese make sure you have them pretty evenly distributed.

Pour in the custard.

Then in a separate bowl, toss your bread crumbs in your olive oil and then coat the dish with that mixture. Also sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

This is crumby.

Bake this bad boy at 350 for 30-35 minutes and then broil it on high for about 3 minutes. You’ll end up with something lovely like this.

Take that broccoli.

Be sure to let this cool for 5 minutes before ripping into it. You need to give the custard time to set just a bit. I served this with some toasted bread and it was very good.

This barely even tastes like broccoli.

So if you happen to know, or be, a broccoliphobe, put this on the menu sometime. It is about as un-broccoli as broccoli can get.

« How to Plan a Meal | Chicken Saltimbocca »

Economical, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | 5 Comments

5 Responses to “Broccoli Parmesan Gratin”

1

Melissa — February 18, 2009 @ 8:48 am

I still see broccoli lurking in there. ;)

[Reply]
2

Sara — February 18, 2009 @ 9:03 am

Haha, old school Dana Carvey. He does a longer version of that in one of his stand up specials. The gratin looks good, too. :)

[Reply]
3

melktart — February 18, 2009 @ 9:16 am

That looks so yummy! Will definitely try it :)

[Reply]
4

AM — February 18, 2009 @ 1:16 pm

Hi Nick,

Quick, simple and easy, my kind of dish.

Good clear photography and very appealing.

Pity, can't see the video, as it is blocked for the Aussies !!!

A little variation, I would do

I would avoid precooking the broccoli, as I like it crunchy.

[Reply]
5

RecipeGirl — February 18, 2009 @ 1:40 pm

I absolutely love stuff like this, which is why I'm the way I am now… and eating more healthfully. Wonder if I could lighten it up w/ nonfat milk & ff half&half. Probably not… it just wouldn't have that same effect! Looks great though- will save for more indulgent times :)

[Reply]