Four Cheese Gratin Food

FOUR-CHEESE CAULIFLOWER GRATIN

Steps:

• For the sauce, melt the butter in a shallow saucepan. When it's just starting to sizzle, stir in the flour to make a paste. Cook for a minute, then gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Stir through the mustard, cream cheese, truffle oil (if using) and parmesan, and cook over a low heat until thickened. Season with lots of black pepper.
• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Trim the leaves off the cauliflowers and slice into rough steaks about 1cm thick. Don't worry about the outside bits not being slices - it will all be used. Assemble the dish a bit like a lasagne. Spoon a quarter of the cheese sauce into a large baking dish and spread it out, then add half of the cauliflower. Repeat the process, finishing with a thick layer of sauce. Scatter over the mozzarella, and the gruyère or cheddar and crispy onions.
• Bake for 1 hr 30-1 hr 45 mins until the cheese is golden and the cauliflower is soft but not mushy. If you want a golden finish, you can grill it (keep an eye on it) or leave it in when you turn the oven up for the crackling, if making the salt & vinegar roast pork as well. Once baked, leave to stand for 10 mins before serving in the middle of the table.

CREAMY AU GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a medium casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

PERFECT FOUR-CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook and crumble beef with onion and garlic over medium-high heat until browned, 5-7 minutes; drain. Stir in herbs and tomato sauce. In a bowl, mix eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese., Spread 1 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; layer with 4 noodles, cottage cheese mixture, an additional 4 noodles and half the remaining meat sauce. Repeat last 2 layers. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and remaining mozzarella cheese., Cover with greased foil; bake until cheese is melted, 50-55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked lasagna. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake lasagna as directed until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°, increasing time to 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

CHEESY POTATOES GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, then season with salt and cook until the onions are soft and very aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until the roux is the consistency of wet sand, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the milk, bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the mustard and cheeses. Season with salt to taste to make sure it is delicious!
• Place a quarter of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle a quarter of the cheese sauce evenly over the potatoes. Repeat this process 3 or 4 more times with the remaining potatoes and sauce, pushing down the potatoes between each layer and topping with the sauce. Place the baking dish on a sheet tray lined with foil. Bake, rotating the dish halfway through, until the potatoes are soft when poked with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes. Tent with foil if the top is getting too brown.
• Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
• Hot cheesy potatoes!

PASTA GRATIN WITH FOUR CHEESES AND OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes more or until the mushrooms are lightly golden. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in chives or parsley and set aside. Now make the sauce. In a saucepan set over moderately low heat melt butter, add the flour and cook the mixture, whisking, for 3 minutes. Add milk, bring mixture to a simmer, whisking, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until lightly thickened. Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the fontina, mozzarella, and gorgonzola and 2/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese, a little at a time, until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To assemble the gratin; in a large bowl toss the pasta with the mushroom mixture. Add 3/4 of the sauce and stir gently to combine. Using remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, butter a 2 to 3 quart gratin dish arrange pasta and diagonal rows of the tomatoes. Top evenly with remaining sauce. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling and golden.

MEXICAN FOUR CHEESE POTATOES AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Stir the queso, broth and cream in a medium bowl.
• Put half of the potatoes in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour half of the queso mixture over the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and queso mixture.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes.

CHEESY SEAFOOD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and some seasoning, and cook for 10 mins until really soft. Stir in half the parsley and spoon into 2 gratin dishes.
• Divide the fish between the 2 dishes, mix the mustard into the cheese sauce and spoon over the top of the fish. Place on a baking tray and cook for 15 mins - you can put the bread in the oven to warm through for the last few mins if it is a little stale. Remove the bread from the oven and turn the grill on to brown the tops of the gratin for 2 mins, then remove from the oven. Scatter the gratin with the remaining parsley and serve with chunks of bread to mop up.

CHEESY GREEN VEG GRATIN

Steps:

• Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the cauliflower florets for 3 mins. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 mins more. Drain in a colander and leave to steam-dry.
• Tip the spinach into a large saucepan, add 2 tbsp water and cook with the lid on over a low heat for 3-4 mins until wilted, then tip into a sieve and press the excess moisture out of it with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat until foaming, then stir in the flour to create a thick paste. Cook for 2 mins, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk in several additions until lump-free. Return to the heat and whisk until thickened. Whisk in the mustard, most of the cheese and the chives. Season to taste.
• Arrange the vegetables, including the cauliflower leaves, in a medium ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden and bubbling.

TARTIFLETTE

Steps:

• Cook the sliced potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, until just tender but not breaking up. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan (or an ovenproof dish), then add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until translucent. Add the pancetta and cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic. Continue on the heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is cooked through and the onions turn lightly golden.
• Drain off any excess fat. Raise the heat, then pour the white wine into the pan and add the bay leaf. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to deglaze the pan, until the wine has reduced by about a third. Add the cream and simmer until that has reduced by about a third too. Remove the pan from the heat and add the potatoes, stirring carefully to coat them with the creamy mixture - it doesn't matter if they start to break up a little. Remove the bay leaf and season the mixture to taste.
• Nestle about two-thirds of the chunks of cheese in among the potatoes and onions, then scatter the rest over the top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C/Gas Mark 4, until golden brown and bubbling.
• Leave to settle for a few minutes, then serve with a salad of vinaigrette-dressed Little Gems and a few cornichons to cut through the creaminess of the Reblochon.
• Enjoy with a Burgundian oaked Chardonnay such as St Véran.

DORIE'S FOUR-CHEESE POTATOES AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in boiling water 20 min. or just until tender; drain. Return to pan; cover with cold water. Let stand until cooled.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 2 min. Blend in flour; cook 1 min. Gradually add milk; cook 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1-1/4 cups shredded cheese; cook and stir 1 min. or until melted. Stir in mustard.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Layer alternately with cheese sauce in 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray, ending with sauce.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining cheeses; bake 5 min. or until shredded cheese is melted.