How to Bake Cardoon Gratin

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Cardoon Gratin:

• 3 lb cardoons
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Cooking instructions for Cardoon Gratin:

• Empty the cups of cream in a large saucepan, along with chicken stock and drop the bay leaf into it.
• Sprinkle a dash of salt and ground black pepper generously and give them a nice stir to mix well.
• Rinse the cardoons under running water and chop off their tough outer stalks.
• Get rid of the thorns as well as fibres and chop it into 2’’ chunks.
• Toss them into the cream mixture and stir them all together to coat well.
• Cook the mixture over moderate heat until it starts simmering, stirring at times, and continue to do so for the next 1 hour or until the cardoons are cooked through and soften.
• Drain out the cardoon into a 1-quart baking dish, with the help of slotted spoon and set aside.
• Continue to simmer the cream sauce over moderate heat for another half an hour or until it reduces to ¾ cup.
• Meanwhile, warm up your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Throw away the bay leaf and pour it over the cardoons until they are completely covered.
• Sprinkle the gruyere cheese over the sauce and place in the oven to bake for half an hour or until bubbles appear on the surface and it turns golden in colour.
• Remove from oven and set aside to cool it slightly.
• Slice into squares and transfer them onto serving plates.
• Serve warm.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons