Creamy Goat Cheese Fennel Gratin
Growing up in my house, I can remember having an aversion to the smell of baked goat cheese wafting through the halls. My mom would toast French bread with stinky goat cheese. I could not stand it. But now, all grown up, baked goat cheese is one my all time favorites. One of my staples while in college in Paris, was a toasted goat cheese and frisée salad. And fennel, one of my all time favorite vegetables packed with fiber and high in minerals like magnesium and potassium, often served in salads, is the perfect companion to the rich and decadent sauce. It oozes and bubbles with baked goat cheese goodness. It is a take on the cozy and comforting Potatoes Au Gratin. Recently at my 50th birthday celebration my dear friend Akasha from the restaurant Akasha Restaurant in Culver City, California made a beautiful fennel gratin for dinner. It was divine and I was inspired to develop an Amalgam Kitchen version in her honor.
Fennel and onions are thinly sliced and then sautéed in butter, a rue is made with fresh goat milk, I love raw goat milk by Organic Pastures but a pasteurized goat milk will do fine, then add in the goat cheese and some pecorino, an Italian sheep cheese and transfer to a baking dish and bake away. There a few steps in this one but I honestly find most holiday recipes involve some steps and time.
But well worth it. This untraditional and surprising holiday side dish is a wonderful match with other traditional dishes. I usually like to throw in some unexpected faces to my table. This time a baked fennel gratin.
Serves 8/Preparation time 15 minutes/Cook time 50 minutes/Total time 1 hour 5 minutes
Gather
5 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons butter divided, (use Melt vegan butter if available)
3 tablespoons gluten free flour blend
2 cups / 473.18 ml goat milk
4 oz / 112 grams soft goat cheese
1 cup / 83 grams grated goat cheese (cheddar or jack style)
1/4 cup / 20.8 grams grated goat cheese and pecorino 50/50
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Make
Preheat oven to 375 F / 190.56 C degrees. Butter a 2 quart / 2 liter baking dish. Heat up a medium pot of water until almost boiling. Blanche sliced fennel, by submerging the fennel pieces in batches in the water for 1 minute. Remove the fennel with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large pan. Add fennel, onion, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and sauté until soft; about 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer the fennel and onion mixture into a casserole dish when ready.
Meanwhile, start your rue. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup / 59.147 ml milk. Slowly whisk in flour and salt and continue to add the rest of the milk little by little until combined. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add soft goat cheese and 1 cup / 83 grams grated goat cheddar until melted. Stir well. Pour rue over fennel and onion. Stir gently to incorporate. Sprinkle remaining goat cheddar and pecorino cheese on top and cover with tin foil. Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake another 10-20 minutes until top is lightly browned and bubbling. Enjoy!
This dish can be made ahead. Follow all steps up until you sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cover it and keep in the fridge over night. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you bake it. Bake per the instructions.
Recipe developed by Katherine Howell and Anna Getty