Cauliflower & Fennel Au Gratin

/ Jodi

Cauliflower and Fennel Au Gratin

I had never cooked anything with fresh fennel before and really wanted to try.  I picked one up at the grocery store having no clue what I was going to do with it.

The other night, when trying to decide what vegetable I was going to serve with dinner and knowing I still had this fennel bulb in the fridge along with a fresh head of cauliflower, I decided to “google” and see if there was a recipe combining the two.

I came upon this one, and oh what a winner it is!

Cauliflower and Fennel Au Gratin 2

This would be a lovely vegetable to serve for company, take to a potluck, or just enjoy for dinner.  The fennel (which smells like anise and is kind of licoricey) is mild, yet full-flavored and holds up nicely in the dish.  Don’t be afraid to try it, even if you say you don’t like licorice.  It is a lovely vegetable that I’m looking forward to using again in other dishes – cooked and raw.

I’m sure you could make this with just the cauliflower too, but I loved what the fennel added to it.  And just a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg made it really sing.

I hope you’ll give it a try.  Enjoy!

Cauliflower & Fennel Au Gratin

Ingredients:Cauliflower and Fennel Au Gratin

1/4 cup butter
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 large fennel bulb, cored, trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch slices plus 1/2 cup chopped fronds (the green ferny part)
2 Tbsp  flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup whipping cream, half & half, or milk (even skim milk is fine)
1 cup (4 oz)  shredded Swiss cheese (or your favorite)
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:

Preheat oven to 450º F.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add cauliflower, and sauté 4 min.  Add fennel slices, and sauté 4-5 more min. or until tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with flour, salt, and nutmeg; add fennel fronds, and lightly toss together.

Spoon into a prepared 2-quart baking dish. Pour cream over mixture. Sprinkle with Swiss cheese, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 450º for 20 minutes or until top is browned and crispy.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

55 thoughts on “Cauliflower & Fennel Au Gratin”

  1. Mmmm, this looks gorgeous again, Jodi! I hated fennel when I was a kid, but now I love it! It has such a very special taste. I used to make it almost like you did, but instead of cauliflower I use leek. It´s an Italian recipe. Before trying it out I couldn´t imagine that leek and fennel would go well together, but they really do. Next time I will add cauliflower to it, sounds great! 😊 Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 💕

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  16. Jodi, This looks Delish ous!! I quite enjoy fennel, it never reaches the cooking stage… I just eat it plain, lol but this recipe might tempt me to delay gratification!! may have to substitute rice milk and rice flour, soy cheese….. or no cheese.

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