Rich with sharp cheese and walnuts, sweet with apples and onions, this delicious and unusual gratin makes a wonderful autumn meal. This week, menu planner and innovative cook, Jenny Wang, adapted this recipe as a stuffing for a delectable baked winter squash and substituted pistachios for the walnuts. Doesn’t that sound good? Try serving it beside Wild Rice Pilaf and a salad of bitter greens and vinaigrette.
Apple Onion Cheese Gratin
Recipe type: Main dish
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of ground cloves
- 4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples, such as Mutsu
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 cups grated Cheddar or Gruyere cheese
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pistachios!)
- 1 cup bread crumbs*
For a slightly sweeter gratin, mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with the bread crumbs. This will bring out the flavor of the apples.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Lightly oil an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
- In a small pot, scald the milk, bringing it almost but not quite to a boil.
- In another small pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.
- Slowly add the scalded milk, whisking continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the nutmeg, salt, and cloves and stir for about a minute, until thick.
- Remove from the heat and set aside
- Spread the apples and onions evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle on the grated cheese and pour the sauce over the top.
- Scatter on the walnuts and bread crumbs (seasoned with brown sugar, if you like).
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.
Notes
PER 6.5-OUNCE SERVING: 326 CALORIES, 12.1 G PROTEIN, 21.6 G FAT, 24.1 G CARBOHYDRATES, 8.3 G SATURATED FATTY ACIDS, 35.7 MG CHOLESTEROL, 437.5 MG SODIUM, 3.9 G TOTAL DIETARY FIBER
