Brussels Beemster And Bacon Gratin

Adapted from a recipe by tara matarazza at serious eats. Beemster is a gouda-style cheese similar to aged goudas; if you can't find it, a 5-year-aged gouda is a reasonable substitute. The regular gouda is used for creaminess; if you use the aged gouda, consider replacing the regular gouda with fontina or havarti.

Steps

Preheat the oven to 375f trim the stem end of each sprout and cut in half.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat , bring milk to a simmer.

Add the sprouts to the milk and simmer for 10 minutes , until they are tender.

Meanwhile , melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saut pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sweat them for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and saut until fragrant , about 30 seconds.

Stir in the last tablespoon of butter.

Once it melts into the onions and garlic , sprinkle the flour in and whisk well to eliminate lumps.

Strain the sprouts from the hot milk and set them aside.

Slowly whisk the hot milk into the ingredients in the saut pan.

Continue whisking until all the milk is incorporated , lump-free.

Stir in the canadian bacon , all but 1 / 2 cup of the beemster , and the gouda.

When the cheese has melted into the sauce , add the brussels sprouts.

Season the sauce with nutmeg , salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish .

Ingredients

brussels sprout, whole milk, butter, onion, garlic cloves, all-purpose flour, canadian bacon, cheese, gouda cheese, nutmeg, coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper