Southern Christmas Goodies

I’ve been really busy this weekend.

I’ve turned this:

Into this:

Now, we can enjoy time with our family with the goodies and their wonderful loving company. What could be better than that?

I’ll be posting Christmas things all week. Hope you’ll come back! Merry Christmas!!!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Broccoli Gratin
After all those sweets, I really feel the need for some veggies!

• 1/4 cup butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed
• Pinch nutmeg
• Black pepper
• 2 pounds broccoli (about 4 heads), cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish or an 8-cup gratin dish.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the white sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring about 1-inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan and set up a collapsible steamer on top. Put the broccoli in the steamer and season with salt. Cover, and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Put the broccoli in the prepared dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour on the sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Cover the gratin with the bread crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tagged as: Southern Christmas