Boursin Spinach Gratin

It is quite possible you are on post-Thanksgiving vegetable casserole overload and have taken a temporary hiatus from any dish looking remotely like a casserole. Suddenly you have found yourself regressing to that childhood food separatist phase where the only meals eaten were ones served on plates with the dividers keeping foods from touching one another (a phase that may have turned into a food way of life for some). For those of us who happen to love a really good casserole or gratin, we figured out a long time ago there are some foods that taste even better when mixed with cheeses and a sauce of some kind rather than in their purest, no adornment presentation. You know you have discovered a fabulous, to-die-for dish when the flavor of the key vegetable ingredient is elevated to a new taste level rather than masked into a state of obscurity. Those would be the ones where you intentionally seek to disguise one of your family's least favorite vegetables so they will eat it. Growing up, I did all I could to avoid eating spinach, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. Today, these are some of my favorites in any form. Go figure.

Needless to say Thanksgiving was rather hectic here (that comes with creating an overly ambitious menu). However, I was so organized this year I almost didn't recognize the person doing all of the cooking. With my energies focused on all of the multi-tasking that went into 'making' the food, my photos of the Boursin Spinach Gratin are not what I would call beautiful or come close to my good intentioned attempts at being a little artsy (in other words, I wasn't able to do it all). So I am breaking my own blog rule and posting this recipe anyway, because this gratin is one you need to make, sooner rather than later. With the holiday entertaining season now in full swing, this gratin pairs incredibly well with poultry, beef, lamb, pork and seafood. If there was ever a dish to make entertaining much easier as well as significantly less stressful, this would be the one. Assembled the day before or early in the day, in needs less than 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven to bake to perfection.

The first time I had this gratin was in the home of friends of my sister. It was creamy with the just the right amount of crunch. The flavors of the onions, spinach, cheeses, lemon zest and spices in a perfectly flavored béchamel sauce were incredibly delicious. In just one bite I knew I wanted the recipe. Or rather I knew I absolutely had to have this recipe. Thankfully she was willing to share it with me (who knows what I would have resorted to if she hadn't). I honestly can't remember where she originally found the recipe but it is one she had slightly tinkered with. My small contribution to her recipe was changing out the freshly made breadcrumbs for panko crumbs (I like their crunch factor).

The gratin all begins with the making of a roux, a thickening agent made from a mixture of flour and butter. Many will say you need a 1:2 ratio of butter to flour for a roux to thicken 1 cup of liquid. This recipe violates that guideline, however, if you have never made a roux before I would recommend you use only 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter to sauté the onions and then add the 4 Tablespoons of flour. The roux is cooked for approximately a minute, which is enough time for the flour to cook while keeping the roux from turning brown.

Mix together the whole milk and whipping cream before slowly (very slowly) adding to the roux. When you first add a small amount of the liquid the entire mixture will appear to seize up. Don't panic, keep whisking and slowly add more liquid, allowing the mixture to very slightly thicken each time. When all of the liquid has been incorporated it will be a smooth, slightly thick béchamel sauce. The crumbled pieces of Boursin cheese are added in slowly enabling them to gently melt into the béchamel .

Remove the bechamel from the heat and stir in the spinach, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg until the spinach is fully incorporated into the sauce. Break up any clumps of the spinach before transferring the mixture into a lightly buttered 9"x12" casserole dish. The crumb topping is simply made of Panko bread crumbs, melted unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I like the crunch of Panko bread crumbs but you can substitute freshly made bread crumbs (the bread crumbs in the cans or boxes used for making meatballs and other dishes are not the same as freshly made bread crumbs). Once all of the crumbs are coated in the butter/oil, sprinkle evenly over the top of the gratin. Baked for approximately 20-25 minutes, the gratin is done when the crumbs are lightly browned and the gratin is heated through. If you are not making it immediately, cover and refrigerate. I usually take out the refrigerated gratin out about an hour before baking (my fear of having a too cold dish breaking in a really hot oven). With only one oven (oh how I miss my double oven), I baked all of my gratins and casseroles in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. The Boursin Spinach Gratin baked up beautifully at this temperature.

This gratin is certain to create spinach lovers out of non-spinach lovers, make those 'don't let any of my foods touch on the plate' eaters in your family suddenly realize what they were missing, and last but not least, be one of the most beautiful, scrumptious foods on your holiday buffet or dinner table. Just don't let these photos sway you from making this gratin.

Recipe
Boursin Spinach Gratin (minor adaptations to a recipe shared by Jill Wallock)

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
2-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 (5.2 ounce size) packages of Boursin cheese (garlic and fine herb), crumbled
4 packages of frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry of excess moisture
4 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (can substitute cayenne pepper)

1 1/3 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x12 casserole pan and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan, sauté one cup of finely diced yellow onion in 3 to 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Cook until onion has softened (approximately 5 minutes).
3. Add 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, cook for approximately 1 minute.
4. Very gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream and then simmer sauce for approximately 1 minute (Note: Need to whisk continuously to create a smooth sauce).
5. Gradually stir in crumbled Boursin cheese, whisking continually until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
6. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper and nutmeg until spinach is evenly distributed in the sauce.
7. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
8. To make the crumb topping, mix together the Panko bread crumbs, melted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Distribute crumb topping evenly over the spinach mixture.
9. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until heated through and crumbs are lightly golden. Note: If not making immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator at least one hour before placing in the preheated 425 degree even. (Note: If baking multiple casseroles/gratins, reduce baking temperature to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45 minutes.)