Winter Greens Gratin

November 19, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

It’s easy in the frenzy of holiday preparations to get caught up in more, more, more – more butter, more options on the sideboard, more going crazy trying to make everything perfect. I’ve been trying to resist being caught in that trap this year and focus instead on less. Not less care, just redirecting my effort into singular dishes that make a meal feel special. If it can be made ahead leaving more time on Thanksgiving Day for watching parades, playing board games and hanging with my family; even better.

This Winter Greens Gratin fills the bill on all accounts, but I won’t lie – it does take a voluminous amount of fresh kale and mustard greens, like possibly all the kale in Brooklyn. It’s a little intimidating at first, but slowly the mountain is tamed down to a manageable amount and then stirred together with cream steeped with garlic and thyme. Thankfully (intentional pun alert!) ninety percent of the prep can be done a day or two ahead and then layered in a baking dish to find it’s way into the oven at the appropriate moment. Mischief managed.

Winter Greens Gratin (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:
3 pounds (2 large bunches) lacinato kale
2 1/2 pounds (2 medium bunches) mustard greens
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyère
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided, plus 7 sprigs thyme
1 cup (2 large) thickly sliced shallots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter plus more for dish
2 cups half and half
7 garlic cloves, smashed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

Wash the kale and mustard greens carefully to remove any sand. Strip the leaves from the stalks and roughly chop in large pieces keeping the two types of greens separate.

Working in batches, drop 3-4 generous handfuls of the chopped kale into the boiling water. Use tongs to stir the leaves and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer the kale with the tongs into the bowl of ice water and let cool for 1 minute. Remove the leaves from the ice water with your hands and squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves. Set aside on a cutting board, and repeat the process until all the kale is cooked.

Repeat the same process with all the mustard greens, cooking in the boiling water for 2 minutes per batch. Coarsely chop all the greens; you should have 6 cups tightly packed leaves. Discard the ice water and combine the kale and mustard greens in the bowl by loosening with your fingers. Set aside, or refrigerate in a food storage container.

Next prep the bread crumbs and cheeses in a mini food processor. Heat oil in a deep, 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl allow to cool for a few minutes, then stir in Parmesan and 1 teaspoon thyme leaves. Set aside, or store in an airtight food storage container at room temperature.

***Greens and breadcrumbs can be made up to 2 days ahead.

To prepare the sauce, wipe out the skillet and melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer shallots to the bowl with greens.

Add half and half, garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs to same skillet; bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10-12 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and garlic cloves; stir in nutmeg. Season the mixture with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over greens in bowl and toss with a fork to evenly coat the greens and shallots in the cream.

Lightly butter a 3 quart baking dish and spread the greens mixture into the dish. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyère, then top with the toasted breadcrumbs. Cover the dish with foil.

***Gratin can be assembled 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-20 minutes until cheese is melted, edges are bubbling, and breadcrumbs are golden brown. Garnish with the remaining 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves.

Lightly adapted and re-written from Bon Appétit’s Winter Greens Gratin.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
A challenge to your small kitchen cooking skills, but doable if you clear the decks before starting. I used a large sauce pan, a deep sauté pan, a mini-food processor, two large bowls, a medium baking dish, and a large cutting board. A pair of tongs, measuring spoons, a chef’s knife, microplane grater, a rubber spatula, and foil will round out the kit. Food storage containers will make life easier and save the need for both bowls.

The Verdict:
Winter Greens Gratin blends the best of creamed spinach with the crisp topping and sharp tang of homemade mac and cheese. The proportion of greens to dairy is perfect and as a result the herbaceous flavor of the kale and mustard greens is highlighted, not masked by the garlic-y cream sauce and cheeses. The toasted breadcrumbs add a little crunch and texture. I made this as a contribution to a Friendsgiving dinner last weekend and the emptiness of the baking dish told the tale. No one will have to be reminded to eat their greens with this gratin on the table.

Parmesan Fennel Gratin

December 10, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Surprise Italian Party”

The Set-up: Antonia is coming to visit and Ina is surprising her with an Italian themed dinner party.

The Menu: Balsamic Roasted Beef, Parmesan Fennel Gratin, White Bean Arugula Salad, Parmesan Crisps, Limoncello and Ice Cream with Biscotti, Rossinis

0:51 – I heard a rumor once upon a time that Ina was a spy in a former life and with the level of scheming she does around surprise parties I’m beginning to think there’s some truth there…

1:14 – The party is for her friend Antonia and since she’s Italian that’s the theme of the meal. First up: White Bean Arugula Salad.

2:33 – We head outside with Ina for some rosemary and encounter Michael the Florist. “Ciao, Michael!”

3:05 - Back inside where we learn how Ina met Antonia. In a nutshell: Ina heard that Antonia was fun, so she looked her up and the rest was history!

4:27 – The white beans for the salad are coming together and Ina’s tossing them with roasted red peppers and prosciutto.

5:43 – Now Ina gives us a run down of her Party Pro Tips… #1: Keep it really simple., #2: Do as much ahead of time as possible. #3: Make familiar dishes that you know will turn out right. #4: Combine store bought items with homemade.

6:06 – Ina says that the white beans should never be salted while they’re cooking or it makes them tough.

10:26 – Next up: Parmesan Fennel Gratin and Ina is simplifying the process by essentially cooking the fennel twice. Once with wine and chicken stock to tenderize the vegetables and again at high heat.

11:43 – Outside with Michael the Florist again and he’s decided to “add a little drama to the table.” I can’t wait to hear how…

12:18 – As it turns out he doesn’t mean Real Housewives style with wine throwing, but with fig leaves and whole figs. DRAMA!! Oh, Michael you are a delight.

13:52 – We’re back with Ina to make the crunchy panko topping for the fennel gratin. Impromptu French lesson: “gratin” doesn’t necessarily mean cheese, “gratinée” however is a sure sign cheese is involved.

14:20 – Ina observes that she really prefers fennel cooked instead of raw, isn’t it amazing the difference in flavor you can get through the cooking process?

18:29 – Now we’re working on the centerpiece of the dinner Balsamic Roasted Beef

and Ina’s coating an entire filet of beef with a mustard/balsamic glaze. Mmmmm.

19:13 – She says a friend of hers Brent Newson taught her to make this and that he’s the “best caterer in the Hamptons, which is saying something.” High praise?

20:42 – Now she’s coating the glaze with a heavy layer of cracked black pepper – spicy!

21:30 – Ina joins Michael the Florist outside to see is handiwork and cackle over their plot to make Antonia eat dinner with friends. They are the evil geniuses of fun.

21:51 – Ina says she’ll save him some food - wait a second, is Michael not invited to the party? Antonia was a florist before she moved is there a beef here that never really got squashed. Maybe that’s what he meant by “adding drama to the table…”

22:36 – Now for the hors d’oeuvres - Parmesan Crisps (aka frico) and Ina says these hit three of the points on her Party Pro Tips list: Simple, Tested, Made in Advance. Nice.

26:49 – Cocktail time! Rossinis are a mixture of fresh strawberries pureed until smooth, simple syrup, and orange liqueur mixed with prosecco. Sounds heavenly.

27:22 – The guests have arrived and have their drinks in hand while they wait for the guest of honor to arrive… Antonia seems genuinely surprised and delighted this is so, so sweet.

28:02 – Ina puts the finishing touches on the White Bean and Arugula Salad, slices up the Balsamic Roasted Beef, and pulls the Parmesan Fennel Gratin from the oven. It all looks gorgeous, naturally.

29:54 – Last but not least, dessert (Limoncello and Ice Cream with Biscotti a store bought item) and a toast to Antonia.

Final Thoughts:
This was a great episode to watch right before we have people come for a little holiday gathering this weekend – I need to keep Ina’s Party Pro Tips in mind!

The Italian theme of this dinner was so subtle and elegant. Not a meatball or piece of garlic bread to be found!

Alas, there was no Michael the Florist in sight at dinner. The petals will have to fly another day.

Lessons Learned:
Parmesan Fennel Gratin is really straightforward and essentially combines a braising technique with roasting. For the first 35-45 minutes the wedges of fennel are in a covered dish with white wine and chicken stock, then once the vegetables are sprinkled with the panko topping the oven temperature increases to crisp the bread crumbs and partially caramelize the fennel.

Honestly, the trickiest part is prepping the fennel bulbs and fitting them into the baking dish. Since the fennel will cook down a little during the braising process it’s important to snuggle the wedges in fairly tightly. I’d suggest alternating the wider “stalk” ends with the narrower “frond” ends to get a few more pieces in the dish.

Normally I think Ina’s seasoning is spot on, but with this the black pepper was a little too strong for me. I’d probably add a few more dabs of butter and reduce the pepper to 1/2 teaspoon on the fennel and maybe just 1/4 teaspoon in the topping.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used a medium cutting board, a large casserole dish, a chef’s knife, a liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a microplane grater. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Both Mike and I were shocked how much we loved the roasted fennel in the Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel we had for dinner a few weeks ago, so I was really excited to make Parmesan Fennel Gratin. I liked the results in the gratin and it’s really easy to make, but honestly I preferred the caramelized, roasted version from the pork loin. I’d like to try it again, but with a new version that recaptures the depth of flavor we loved so much.

Eggplant Gratin

August 13, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Memory Lane”

The Set-up: Ina is cooking up recipes from the past – question is, will Jeffrey pick up the hint?

The Menu: Steak Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, Eggplant Gratin

0:49 – Ina says she used to send Jeffrey boxes of brownies at school and calls it the “culinary equivalent of a low-cut dress.” She’s guessing that after nearly 40 years of marriage her ploy worked – yowza those must be some brownies.

1:16 – She is not messing around with Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies - not only do they have 1 lb. of chocolate, she’s also swirling peanut butter through the batter.

2:23 – As Ina cracks eggs for the batter we get a clip of Jeffrey presenting Ina with a box of brownies as an anniversary present. Romantic indeed. Mike, are you taking notes?

3:07 – Pro Tip#1: to keep the brownies dense carefully whisk the eggs to incorporate as little air as possible.

4:32 – That is an ocean of melted chocolate. I have zero doubt that these brownies are legit because now she’s also adding chocolate chips.

5:11 – Pro Tip #2: Dusting chocolate chips with a small amount of flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

5:54 – Is it just me or did the music go all “sexy” when Ina started swirling the peanut butter through the tray of brownies?

6:48 – A quick break in sifting through snapshots from the 60s (do your parents have boxes of those too?) to enact Pro Tip #3: half way through baking the brownies rap the pan against the rack to release any trapped air.

10:15 – Time to make the Steak Sandwich – a throwback to the first thing Ina ever cooked for Jeffrey. In her words that inaugural sandwich was “tough, dry and grey” so she’s redeeming herself with this one.

11:02 – Pro Tip #4: Get the pan and the oil really hot before adding the steak (NY Strip in this case) so that the outsides sear nicely.

11:39 – Ina remarks that she can’t believe that the smells of steak, brownies and caramelizing onions haven’t lured Jeffrey out of his office. This is a mystery to me too – who could resist investigating?

12:56 – We get a brief peek of Mr. Garten hard at work, and I can’t help but notice that he types ‘hunt and peck’ style. No seventh grade keyboarding class for him I guess.

13:22 – Back to Ina still hating on that bland, 1968 steak sandwich. She’s mixing some mustard – coarse grain for texture, Dijon for flavor – mayonnaise, and sour cream to make a spread.

14:23 – Steak is cooked and Ina exhorts us in Pro Tip #5: to cover it with foil and allow the meat to rest before slicing and serving.

18:27 – We come back from a commercial to Ina cutting the pan of brownies into the most perfect squares. I would love to know how long those cooled, because mine are always a sticky mess when it’s time to pry them out. Side note: Jeffrey is not to be trusted with an entire plate of brownies.

19:35 – Steak, caramelized onions, and arugula with a schmere of mustard spread are assembled on focaccia bread and if this doesn’t wipe out the memory of The Worst Steak Sandwich of All-Time TM pending I don’t know what will. Yum.

20:18 – The Most Adorable Lunch of All-Time TM pending is delivered to Jeffrey, who looks both intrigued and suspicious. “Did I do something right? Did you do something bad?” Ina remains coy and says it’s a special treat and he has to figure it out…

21:29 – A few more snapshots (no Instagram filter required) and Ina makes a startling statement: she and Jeffrey honeymooned in France for four months living in a tent and she cooked in there. I need a minute to process.

22:04 – Eggplant Gratin was the first meal the Gartens treated themselves to in Paris after their camping trip. I’d probably love anything I didn’t have to prepare on a camp stove too…

22:41 – Pro Tip #6: heat the olive oil until it’s very hot before adding the eggplant to prevent the vegetables from becoming soggy.

26:56 – Now Ina is making a mixture from ricotta, cream, and an egg, which looks like a thinner version of lasagna filling.

28:12 – Actually, lasagna is a good proxy for the layering-style assembly of this dish and a lot of the flavors seem similar. Also, I am coveting Ina’s adorable little gratin dishes.

29:22 – Finishing touches on dinner – mescalun salad, baguette, red wine – to be held on the terrace Chez Garten. So simple, but really elegant.

29:55 – Now, for Jeffrey’s test: he correctly identifies all the occasions that these recipes reference and passes with flying colors! Great job Mr. Garten. Gold star.

Final Thoughts:

Recipes that repeat throughout a lifetime or a marriage are always so special, even if and especially if they’re simple classics.

Ina always has just the right equipment to make each dish like those adorable individual gratin dishes. Maybe someday…

The Gartens are seriously so cute, people. I hope the years will be as kind to Mike and I!

Lessons Learned:

I’ve never made a gratin before, so I was excited to try adding Eggplant Gratin to my repertoire. The actual steps of the recipe aren’t overly difficult, especially if you’ve made lasagna or another layered casserole, so the hardest part for me was patience.

Making sure that the olive oil was quite hot before sautéing the eggplant, resisting the urge to overcrowd the pan – these are my kitchen struggles. I managed to go slow, sauté in batches and take my time with the star ingredient, which paid off when the texture of the eggplant was firm and not greasy.

The ricotta mixture is very straightforward measuring and mixing – but I found that 1/4 cup of ricotta plus 1/4 cup of cream and an egg made for a really thin sauce and I was worried about having too much liquid, so I added another tablespoon or so of ricotta to thicken it up. It seemed to work well, so something to note for the future.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, absolutely - in the grand scheme of cooking this is really low impact. I used a medium sauté pan to cook the eggplant in batches, 8” pie plate in lieu of gratin dishes, a large dinner plate lined with paper towel, small bowl, and a medium cutting board. For tools I needed a chef’s knife, microplane grater (for the parmesan cheese), measuring cups and spoons, and lastly TONGS. Tongs are an absolute lifesaver when the sauté pan is spattering from the eggplant and it’s time to turn them over.

The Verdict:

I didn’t realize that Mike knew what a gratin was when I made this for dinner on a rainy Tuesday night, but based on his experience with Potatoes Au Gratin he correctly identified it as Eggplant Gratin before I revealed what we were having.

The eggplant and cheese are really satisfying even though there’s no meat involved, and neither of us missed it. The flavors are simple and delicious which made it a perfect meal that’s not too heavy for summer. I would definitely make this again for us, or when I needed a vegetarian main course at a dinner party.

Lastly, I didn’t think about this before I made the recipe, but Eggplant Gratin is not the most attractive dish. A brownish vegetable under browned cheese – not so cute to take pictures of even if it turns out perfectly, leading Mike and I to coin the phrase #gratinproblems. But I promised to show you how things really look (you’re welcome) and if this goes viral you heard it here first!