Roasted Cabbage Gratin
- 1 medium head green cabbage
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs, olive oil, kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper
Preheat your oven to 375. You will need a large baking dish (glass or ceramic), a large frying pan (I like cast iron), and small sauce pot.
In the small sauce pot, add the butter and over very low heat sweat the shallot, garlic, and thyme until soft and fragrant. Add the 2 cups of cream and warm it just until small bubbles appear at the edge of the pan. Do not scald the cream. add some salt and pepper to the cream mixture and stir (it should taste nicely seasoned). Turn off the heat and set the cream mixture aside.
Prepare the cabbage by removing the outer layer of leaves and cutting the head into wedges. Each wedge should be about 2-3 inches thick. Trim the core so that most of it is removed, but a thin slice of it is holding each wedge together in the center. In your large pan heat 4 Tbsp of olive oil. brown the cabbage wedges on both sides – there is no need to cook them all the way through at this stage. You will likely have to brown the cabbage in batches – add more oil as needed. Place the browned wedges into your baking dish; they can be packed in rather tightly at this point. Season the browned cabbage wedges with salt and black pepper, pour the cream mixture over the roasted cabbage, and place the baking dish in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked through, but still holds its shape and has some crunch to it.
Remove the dish from the oven and turn on the broiler. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the dish. In a small bowl mix the panko with about 1 TBSP of olive oil and mix with your fingers until the breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the cheese. Give the dish a nice seasoning over the top with some more salt and black pepper – you can use a flakey salt like Maldon if you like. Place the dish back in the oven about 5-6 inches under the broiler until the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned. Watch it carefully to make sure it does not burn.
Serve and enjoy!