Creamy Fennel Gratin

Fennel is a new addition to my local farmers market.  That’s the great thing about the rise of these local markets.  Customers ask, farmers grow.  Last year, it was a few experimental bulbs, this year it’s big bins of them.  When I saw them last year, I was quick to pick up as many as I could and start experimenting.  I love adding fennel to the vegetables that start a soup or casserole or sauce – a bit in with the carrots, celery and onion.  It adds an interesting undernote.  But I had never really ventured into featuring fennel as a main ingredient until I found it tender and fresh and fragrant on the farmstand.

I have had a roasted fennel gratin at a restaurant that was basically wedges of fennel tossed in olive oil with a shower of breadcrumbs.  Not interesting enough for me.  The recipes I looked at were mostly similar and the ones with cream sauce seemed to have a lot of cream sauce – the fennel would be swimming.  So I fiddled around for what I was imagining.  When I have the freshest fennel, I want to highlight its unique flavor, so I ignored recipes that had additions of mustard, onion, garlic and shallot.  I want the bracing flavor of fennel to really shine.  A touch of the acid tang of white wine complements the fennel and a slight dusting with salty Parmesan rounds it out. Cooking mellows the fennel, rendering it sweeter but still with that special flavor.

This dish is lovely.  I’ve eaten it on its own with a chunk of bread, but it pairs so well with a grilled steak or a delicate piece of fish.  The smell of sliced fresh fennel is spectacular.

Creamy Fennel Gratin

I prefer the Parmesan and breadcrumbs to be very fine, like a light dust on top of the gratin.  I grate day-old bread on a fine grater.

6 cups thinly sliced fennel (see note)

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon flour

½ cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons chopped fennel frond (the feathery leaves)

¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh, finely grated bread crumbs

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Butter an 8 by 8 inch baking dish

Cut the thick stalks and fronds form the fennel bulbs and remove the tough end and any tough, blemished outer leaves.  Slice the fennel bulb thinly using a mandolin or the food processor, about 1/8 inch thick.

Melt the butter in a saucepan large enough to hold the sliced fennel.  Whisk in the flour until you have a smooth, pale paste.  Pour in the wine and heavy cream (measure them together in the same jug) and whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.  Stir in one Tablespoon of the chopped fennel frond and cook until the sauce is thick and coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the sliced fennel and a few generous pinches of salt and stir to coat.  Scrape the fennel into the prepared baking dish and spread it out into an even layer.

Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan and remaining chopped fennel fron together.  Sprinkle evenly over the top of the gratin.  Bake the gratin for 30 – 40 minutes until a knife slides easily into a piece of the fennel.  Serve hot.

Serves 4 – 6 

Note: I created this recipe to make the most of fresh, young tender fennel.  I use about 6 bulbs that are pale green and about 4 inches across.  If you use the mature, white fennel common at grocery stores, you will probably need about 3 bulbs.  The young fennel can be sliced right through, but the larger white bulbs need to be halved and the triangular hard core cut out.  The large bulbs may need a longer cooking time as well.