Three Cheese Asparagus Gratin Recipes

BROILED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat broiler. On a baking sheet, toss the asparagus with the oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Arrange the asparagus in a single layer and broil, shaking the baking sheet occasionally, until tender and slightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes.

ASPARAGUS AND ASIAGO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
• Arrange the asparagus in a single layer in a large baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss the spears gently to coat with the oil.
• In a bowl, whisk together the cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a grinding of pepper. Drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the asparagus.
• Bake, uncovered, until the asparagus is just tender and the topping is melted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus.
• Drizzle the asparagus with some lemon juice and serve hot, straight from the baking dish, or arrange on a lovely little gratin dish to take to the table. Originally published March 28, 2012.

THREE CHEESE ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler on your oven. Place the rack on the top rung.
• In a large skillet, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Toss in asparagus and cook covered for 4 minutes or until fork tender. Remove asparagus and place on a nonstick baking sheet (or pre-sprayed baking sheet), in a long row. Season with sea salt and garlic pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Pour 1 cup asparagus water from the skillet into a measuring cup and discard the rest.
• In the same skillet, now empty, heat 2 tablespoons salted butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine, about 1 minute.
• Pour the asparagus water into the skillet and combine using a whisk until a thick sauce forms. About 4 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan, asiago, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Stir until creamy and fully melted.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the center of the asparagus. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella.
• Broil for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Watch this step carefully to not overcook.
• Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Bring the water and reserved asparagus stems to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes then remove the stems from the water.
• Add the asparagus to the water and simmer until just tender, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the asparagus from the water and place in a baking dish, reserving 1 cup of the water.
• Melt the butter in a pan and let it bubble until it starts to turn a light brown.
• Mix in the flour and cook until it starts to turn a light golden brown.
• Add the reserved asparagus water and cook, stirring, until it thickens.
• Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and let it melt.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour the mixture over the asparagus in the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
• Broil until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown, about 4-6 minutes, watching it carefully.

SALMON & ASPARAGUS GRATIN WITH PARMESAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °C). Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Sweat the onion and leek for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the asparagus. Cook for 1 minute. Season. Remove from the heat. Mix the sauce and half the cheese in a bowl. Add to the vegetables and mix. Add the salmon cubes. Mix gently. Divide between four baking dishes. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately with a green salad. Chef's secret Cook the vegetables for a few minutes before adding them to the sauce; this will allow the excess water to evaporate, making your sauce creamier and thicker.

CHEESY ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in butter, garlic and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place into oven and roast for 8-10 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Top with cheeses and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until melted. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Trim and wash the asparagus.
• In a pot a simmering water, cook the asparagus about 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
• Divide asparagus into 6 equal bundles. Wrap 1 slice of the meat around each bundle and place in a shallow baking dish.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the breadcrumbs to the butter and mix. Cook for 1 minute. Pour this mixture over the bundles. Top with the shredded Gruyere.
• Broil until cheese lightly browns, about 1 minute.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack about 6 inches from heat.
• Toss together asparagus and shallot in a 10-inch broiler-safe skillet or 8-inch square broiler-safe baking dish.
• Stir together cream, mustard, flour, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the fontina. Pour over asparagus, and using tongs, gently toss to coat asparagus. Top with Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup fontina, and bake in preheated oven until asparagus is almost tender-crisp and cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil, and broil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

SIMPLEST ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to about 4 inches from the heat source; turn on the broiler. Grease a shallow medium baking pan or gratin dish with the butter.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking then drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add the cheese to the food processor and pulse until large crumbs form. Add the parsley and pulse 3 or 4 more times until it is about the same size as the cheese crumbs. Tear the bread into pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times, then let the machine run for a few seconds, until coarsely chopped.
• Put the asparagus in the dish and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden. Sprinkle with a few grinds pepper and the paprika if you like, and serve.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack on one of the top two shelves, then preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 3 or 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray, butter or olive oil.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the asparagus, in batches if necessary, until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Drain through a colander, shaking off any excess water, then transfer to the baking dish. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• In the same pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture develops a nutty fragrance and darkens slightly, 2-3 minutes (this is known as a roux). Whisk in the half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk until thick, 4-5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, then add the cheese in handfuls, whisking until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over asparagus.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet, then stir in the panko and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle over the cheese sauce.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown (watch closely to make sure they don't burn).
• Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler and position an oven rack 8 inches from the heat.
• Prepare asparagus by holding asparagus spear in your hand and breaking off the bottom where it snaps; this is the tough part of the stem. Discard.
• Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add minced shallots and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add prepared asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and cook briefly over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.
• Transfer asparagus to a medium gratin dish and arrange with asparagus heads pointing in once direction.
• Combine crème fraiche and grated gruyere cheese. Spread evenly over asparagus. When ready to serve, broil until golden and bubbling, shifting the dish for even browning, about 1-3 minutes. Sprinkle with tarragon and serve.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• In a small saucepan heat the butter until frothy. Stir in the flour and cook slowly, stirring constantly, for a minute. Add the milk and broth, whisking vigorously and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk it just until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Arrange the asparagus in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with sliced eggs and spoon the sauce over the top. Top with bread crumbs mixed with cheese and drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbly.

ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOM AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Trim any tough ends from asparagus and cut spears into 1-inch pieces. Place in prepared baking dish.
• In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Spread over asparagus in baking dish.
• In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk and sherry. Cook over medium heat just until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper. Pour sauce evenly over asparagus and mushrooms.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

CHEESY ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler, with rack 6 inches from heating element. Brush 4 small (8-ounce capacity) gratin dishes with butter. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook according to package directions 1 minute less than al dente. Add asparagus and cook 1 minute more; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat milk in a medium pot over medium-high until just simmering. Add cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup each cheddar and Gruyere; add remaining cheeses and butter to pot and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and asparagus; stir to coat. Divide mixture among prepared dishes; sprinkle with reserved cheeses.
• Broil, rotating dishes once, until pasta is crisp and browned in places, 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN RECIPE

Steps:

• Place rack in upper middle position of the oven and preheat the broiler to high.
• Trim the woody ends of the asparagus off. In a saute pan (with lid), bring the water to a simmer. Add the woody asparagus ends plus 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the water and cook for 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove and discard the woody asparagus ends.
• Return water to a simmer. Add the asparagus to the water, cover and cook for 2 minutes, until just nearly tender (for very thin asparagus, you only need to cook 1 minute). With slotted spoon, remove the asparagus and reserve. Pour just 1/2 cup of the asparagus water into a measuring cup (discard the rest).
• Wipe the saute pan dry and return to stove on medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan and with whisk or spoon, stir in the flour. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until thickened and nutty smelling, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in most of the cheese (reserve a couple of tablespoons of cheese for the top of the asparagus) and the reserved asparagus water. Taste then season with salt and pepper.
• Pour this thickened cheesy sauce into oven-safe casserole dish. Place the asparagus on top of the sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of asparagus. Broil for 6-8 minutes. Top with parsley. Serve immediately.

GRATIN OF WHITE ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F (convection oven to 425°F). Brush a copper or ceramic gratin dish with a little of the melted butter.
• Trim the asparagus: you will find that white asparagus needs to be trimmed much higher-roughly halfway up the stalks, as a rule of thumb. Slice the spears in half lengthwise and lay them in the buttered gratin dish. Sprinkle with most of the lemon thyme leaves, saving a few for garnish.
• Now put the crème fraîche and mustard into a heavy pan and place over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat slightly and let bubble to reduce by about a quarter. Season the reduced mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Meanwhile, put the bread crumbs in a bowl, add the Parmesan, parsley, and some pepper, and toss with your fingers to combine.
• Pour the mustardy crème fraîche over the asparagus, then scatter the crumb mixture on top, distributing it evenly. Drizzle over the rest of the melted butter. Bake the gratin on the middle shelf of the oven until the top is crisp and golden and the cream bubbles up around the sides of the dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves and serve.

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Butter a 2- to 2 1/2-quart shallow ceramic flameproof baking dish.
• Cook asparagus in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander, then transfer to baking dish and keep warm, tightly covered with foil.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until foam subsides, then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add bread and pine nuts and cook, stirring, until browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add pepper, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, tossing to combine.
• Preheat broiler.
• Toss warm asparagus with mascarpone, remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until combined well.
• Sprinkle bread-crumb mixture evenly over asparagus. Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat until topping is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.