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Fennel Gratin
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- Total Time
- 2½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¼large loaf artisanal bread (about 5 ounces)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1teaspoon garlic paste (see note)
- ½teaspoon fennel pollen
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- 3tablespoons roughly chopped fennel fronds (optional)
- 4 or 5large fennel bulbs (3 to 4 inches), or 6 to 8 small bulbs (2 to 3 inches), with some fronds attached
- 1tablespoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon black pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
- ¼cup good white wine
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons garlic paste (see note)
- 2½cups whole milk
- 3ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, grated
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- 2ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, grated
- 2ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, ground (see note) or finely chopped by hand
For the Bread Crumb Topping
For the Fennel
For the Cheese Sauce
For Assembly
Preparation
- Step 1
Toast the bread crumbs: Heat oven to 250 degrees. Remove crust from bread and slice ¼ inch thick, then tear slices into ½ inch pieces. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until completely dry and brittle, but without any color. Let cool, then break into roughly pebble-size pieces and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper or in a plastic bag. Gently roll a rolling pin across the surface several times until crumbs have a rustic texture — larger than a grain or rice but smaller than a pea. Measure ¾ cup crumbs and set aside. (Reserve leftover crumbs for another purpose.)
- Step 2
Meanwhile, prepare the fennel: Chop 3 tablespoons fronds and set aside. If you’re using large bulbs, cut lengthwise into quarters; if you’re using small bulbs, cut lengthwise in half. Leave base fully attached in both instances. Turn fennel pieces cut side up and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Heat your largest sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and butter. Then, working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add fennel cut side down and sear until deep chestnut brown, 2 to 3 minutes. If fennel is quartered, flip pieces to sear the other cut surface for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fennel to a large Dutch oven.
- Step 4
Add stock and wine to Dutch oven, place over low heat, cover and simmer until fennel is fork-tender but not mushy, 20 to 25 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, place fennel neatly in a 9 by 13-inch broiler-proof baking dish and set aside.
- Step 5
Prepare the bread crumb topping: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add bread crumbs, garlic paste, fennel pollen and pepper and cook, stirring often, until crumbs are pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t let them take on too much color. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped fennel fronds.
- Step 6
Make the cheese sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Whisk for about 1 minute, then add garlic paste. Whisk until flour begins to take on a pale gold color, 2 to 3 minutes; you want a shade between off-white and not quite beige.
- Step 7
Gradually whisk in milk. Once all of the milk has been added, whisk vigorously until sauce is completely smooth; turn down heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking periodically to avoid scorching, until sauce fully thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off heat, whisk in Gruyère, and season with salt and pepper. The sauce should be very thick.
- Step 8
To assemble: Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Pour cheese sauce over fennel (very gently reheat sauce if cold), and sprinkle with Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until bubbling and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 9
Remove gratin from oven and scatter bread crumb topping in an even layer across the top. Continue to bake until gratin takes on a deep golden hue, about 5 minutes. If it needs more color, place dish under the broiler for 1 minute, watching it very carefully to ensure nothing burns. Serve immediately.
- To make garlic paste for both the topping and cheese sauce, crush 3 cloves garlic by holding the blade of a chef's knife flat against garlic and smashing down on the blade with a closed fist. Roughly chop garlic and sprinkle ¾ teaspoon kosher salt on top. Run flat side of the knife blade back and forth over garlic to make a fine paste.
- To grind the Parmigiano-Reggiano, chop a small block of cheese into rough ½-inch cubes and place the cubes in a food processor. Pulse until cheese moves freely, then process until cheese becomes very small, pebbly pieces with a fine, even texture akin to coarse cornmeal.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
This has overkill in every step. DYO bread crumbs! Fennel pollen and cave-aged gruyere (not even "preferably cave-aged.") Not like you, NY Times Cooking. I'm not looking for recipes calling for canned cream of mushroom soup, but isn't this a little ridiculous? There's a nice recipe on Epicurious for baked fennel with goat cheese, shallots and rosemary.
Though "artisanal" is a rather subjective, to me it implies a chewy, glutin-y bread, not the sort of white-bread puffy fluffy that generates flaky Panko crumbs. So then the resultant bread crumbs would have more heft and substance. And flavor, which Panko lacks.
Could you not save a step and use Panko bread crumbs?
How hard is fennel pollen to come by? Anyone seen it in their local supermarket? Seems like it would be tricky to track down but I don't really know.
Fennel pollen is available on Amazon It is a special flavor Italians love it
Overcomplicated and wildly over-fussy. It is indeed delicious, but this is a weekend project not to be undertaken lightly (which seems excessive for a side-dish)
I agree that this recipe seems a little overkill and silly. I did make Nigella Lawson' fennel gratin yesterday that I came across online - after trying to find the one from Jamie Oliver's new cookbook. It had similar elements, but was much more straight forward - and completely... insanely delicious!
Jake I keep fennel pollen in my pantry at all times and use it frequently. I order mine from Martha Hall Foods. It is a wonderful herb to have for so many things.
you buy the fennel pollen on line, through Amazon or elsewhere. If you live in an area where fennel grows wild, pick the flowers when they bloom and dry them. You use fennel pollen, as they do in Tuscany, in pork roasts and pork chops
Believe the amount of hours. Very laborious. Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
This is the most amazing dish! It is a staple in our home now and although it is a alot of work in preparation, it pays off! It is a labor of love but well worth the time! I double it so i have 2 casseroles and it keeps for a week or more in the fridge. The recipe is perfect!!
Use toasted fennel seeds and breadcrumbs take 2 mins to make in a food processor !! Chunky ones are way better than Pablo for this recipe
Fennel pollen is available on Amazon It is a special flavor Italians love it
Next time I would stir in the chopped fennel fronds just before adding the breadcrumbs. The moisture in the fennel fronds took away some of the crispness of the breadcrumbs.
This has overkill in every step. DYO bread crumbs! Fennel pollen and cave-aged gruyere (not even "preferably cave-aged.") Not like you, NY Times Cooking. I'm not looking for recipes calling for canned cream of mushroom soup, but isn't this a little ridiculous? There's a nice recipe on Epicurious for baked fennel with goat cheese, shallots and rosemary.
How hard is fennel pollen to come by? Anyone seen it in their local supermarket? Seems like it would be tricky to track down but I don't really know.
I have not seen it outside of Italy, although admittedly that is just from looking in shops; not from looking online. I feel like with an unusual ingredient like that, it should be addressed in the recipe.
I bought some at a Savory Spice Shop. They have franchises around the country.
I bought fennel pollen on Amazon; there are several choices.
Could you not save a step and use Panko bread crumbs?
Though "artisanal" is a rather subjective, to me it implies a chewy, glutin-y bread, not the sort of white-bread puffy fluffy that generates flaky Panko crumbs. So then the resultant bread crumbs would have more heft and substance. And flavor, which Panko lacks.
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