November 22, 2015

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin and 5 in 5 For Every Season Cookbook Review



Life is so busy, who couldn't use a few super simple recipes to have on hand?


I have to admit, I was thinking this book was going to be a little different than it is.  I was thinking each recipe was going to have 5 ingredients total and when I flipped through the pages, I saw that most recipes had more than 5 ingredients.  Then, I actually read the book and discovered what "5 in 5" meant.

5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes of Heat

I also discovered this is a "follow-up" book to the original Michael Symon's 5 in 5 cookbook.  All of the 165 recipes in this new book are designed to get you in and out of the kitchen super fast.  The recipes are broken up into five categories - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Holidays.  Not every recipe has a picture, but there are plenty of gorgeous pics in this book.  The recipes are so unique and everything is so fresh.  I haven't tried a lot of the ingredients, like celery root, parsnips, couscous and swiss chard, but with recipes as simple as these, I'm totally willing to try some new things.

This book is full of sides and main dishes and there are a only a few drink recipes and Summer fruit desserts.  

Overall, if you want a cookbook full of quick and easy recipes and if you want to try new dishes that you have probably never had before, then this book would be a great choice.

Plus . . . how do you not just love Michael Symon???  He seems like the most genuine nicest person and his laugh is contagious, right!!
Some of the recipes I can't wait to try are:
Pork with Broccoli and Cashews
Couscous with Peas, Asparagus & Parmesan
Leftover Ham Frittata with Gruyere
Autumn Panzanella

Since broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables, of course I was going to try this Cheesy Broccoli Gratin.

This broccoli had SO MUCH FLAVOR and it was SO GOOD.  I usually can eat a giant serving of broccoli, but this recipe is a little rich thanks to that yummy cream and all that Gruyere cheese, so a small serving was plenty.
This was the first time I had purchased Gruyere cheese and I don't know if all Gruyere is smokey or if I just bough smokey Gruyere, but I loved it!!  That smokey flavor was outstanding and I can now see myself using this cheese is so many other dishes.  

This is definitely a dish I see myself making again.  It would be a really great side-dish for Thanksgiving.  

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin

3 Tbl. olive oil
6 c. fresh broccoli florets
kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 c. grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 c. thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs, toasted

Heat olive oil a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the broccoli and a good pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.  

Reduce the heat to medium, add the cream and nutmeg and cook until the cream reduces slightly and the broccoli is cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Add the Gruyere and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in the scallions, top with the Panko and serve.  Serves 4-6 as a side dish.  

Jenn's Notes: Rather than adding toasted bread crumbs, I topped my dish with un-toasted bread crumbs and placed my pan under the broiler to toast.

I received a copy of this cookbook from Blogging for Books for the purpose of this review.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

LinkWithin