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Gratin de cardons
Cardoon gratin
Lyon's Christmas cardoon gratin (gratin de cardons)
Cardoons, the tall silvery cousin of the artichoke, are a Christmas vegetable in Lyon and the Dauphiné; market stalls on the Quai Saint-Antoine sell them in December, and the gratin goes on the table at the réveillon dinner. The stalks taste gently of artichoke and celery and turn meltingly soft under a nutmeg béchamel. Lyon cooks often add bone marrow; this version leaves it out and uses vegetable stock in the sauce. Gruyère is usually made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian alternative if needed. If you cannot find cardoons, celery hearts work, though they cook faster. Chef's tip: drop each peeled stalk straight into lemon water; cardoons blacken within minutes in the air.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the cardoons
- 3 ⅓ lb cardoonsabout 1 head
- 1 lemonhalved
- 2 tbsp plain flourfor the cooking water
- 2 tsp salt
For the sauce
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ cups whole milkwarm
- ¾ cup vegetable stockwarm
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 ½ oz Gruyèregrated, or a vegetarian alternative
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in 1 lemon, dropping the halves in too.
Step 2: Discard the tough outer stalks and leaves of 3 ⅓ lb cardoons. Use a vegetable peeler to strip the stringy ribs off each stalk, cut into 6 cm lengths and drop straight into the lemon water.
20 minStep 3: Whisk 2 tbsp plain flour into 3 litres of cold water in a large pan with 2 tsp salt, bring to the boil and add the drained cardoons. Simmer for 35–45 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. The flour keeps them pale.
45 minStep 4: Meanwhile, melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a pan, stir in 1 ⅜ oz plain flour and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat without colouring. Gradually whisk in 1 ¾ cups whole milk and ¾ cup vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp white pepper and salt.
8 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Drain the cardoons very well and pat dry. Common mistake: putting them in the dish still wet, which waters down the sauce into a thin puddle.
Step 6: Spread the cardoons in a buttered gratin dish, pour over the sauce and scatter with 2 ½ oz Gruyère.
Step 7: Bake for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. You can assemble it a day ahead and bake from cold for 35 minutes.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gratin de cardons take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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