Spleek To Me Spinach And Leek Gratin With Bleu Cheese Recipes

SPINACH AND LEEK GRATIN WITH ROQUEFORT CRUMB TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in 2 tablespoons mustard, then breadcrumbs. Sauté until breadcrumbs are golden, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly. Mix in cheese.
• Toss 1 1/2 bags spinach in large nonstick pot over high heat until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to sieve set over bowl. Repeat with remaining spinach. Press on spinach to drain.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add leek; sauté 4 minutes. Add cream, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard, and spinach. Toss until thick and blended, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 7x11-inch baking dish. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes.

SPINACH AND ROASTED RED PEPPER GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches (about 10 cups at a time), sauté fresh spinach in dry skillet until bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer spinach to strainer. Squeeze spinach dry; roll in kitchen towel to remove excess water.
• Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cream and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach, leek mixture, and 2/3 of roasted red peppers (reserve 1/3 of peppers for topping). (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Transfer spinach mixture to prepared dish. Bake gratin until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Arrange remaining red pepper strips decoratively atop gratin and serve.

SWISS CHARD AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the chard until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain the chard, squeeze it dry, and chop. Be sure to remove any excess moisture.
• Heat the oil in the pot. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over medium to medium low heat, stirring, until tender, 7 minutes. You know your stove -- if it cooks hot make it medium low, if it cooks low, make it medium. Uncover, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant. (about 2 minutes). Add the chard, season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter or grease a 2 qt casserole dish.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour over moderate heat to form a paste. Gradually whisk 1/3 of the milk and cook, whisking, until the mixture starts to thicken. Repeat two more times with the remaining milk.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until thickened and no floury taste remains, about 10-15 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses and the nutmeg. season with salt and pepper.
• Combine the sauce and leeks/chard mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving to prevent burning your mouth.

SPLEEK TO ME: SPINACH AND LEEK GRATIN WITH BLEU CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. DO NOT burn. Mix in half of the horseradish and 2 tablespoons of the Dijon mustard. Then add the breadcrumbs.
• Saute the breadcrumbs until light golden, about 3-4 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in the cheese.
• Toss half of the spinach leaves in a large non-stick pan on high heat just until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the wilted spinach to a sieve set over a bowl and press down with a spatula to release the moisture. Repeat again with the remaining spinach, draining as directed.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in medium-high heat in same pot you used to cook the spinach. Add the cut up leek and saute about 4 minutes.
• Add the cream, the remaining horseradish and mustard, and finally the spinach. Toss until the mixture is thick and blended, about 2 minutes total. DO NOT burn.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Transfer the spinach/leek mixture to a 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Top with the toasted breadcrumbs.
• Bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• Serve with a cheesy grin.