Leeks in Cheese Sauce
"We eat alot of leeks here in Belgium. This has to be one of my favorite ways to prepare and eat them. The cheese sauce doesn't overpower or mask their flavor, it simply complements it."
photo by JustJanS
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 4 large leeks
- 450 ml milk
- 110 g grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 25 g flour
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1⁄8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄8 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
directions
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
- Cut the root-ends from the leeks, and cut them in 5 cm (2 inch) pieces, keeping only the white parts and the tender green inner parts; wash well in water.
- Place the leeks in boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes; drain well, then arrange in a baking dish (I use a 1 1/2 liter size that is 14 1/2 cm square).
- As your leeks are simmering, put the milk, flour, butter, and bay leaf in a saucepan, and mix well.
- Bring to the boil, whisking continuously; simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Add garlic powder, salt, mustard powder and nutmeg, then 3/4 of the grated cheese, whisking until it is completely melted.
- Remove the bayleaf, then pour the cheese sauce over the leeks.
- Top with remaining cheddar, and bake 20-30 minutes, until golden.
- If possible, let stand 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the cheese sauce to further"set" and to avoid burning your mouth.
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Reviews
-
Made this with sweet, tender young leeks. Very easy to prepare, and delicious. -
Gorgeous receipe and easy to follow
-
I loved the cheese sauce, it was perfect. This was my first time eating leeks au gratin and I quite liked it, but found the leeks a bit stronger tasting than I thought they would be. I will certainly make this again and I thank you for the recipe. -
I used leeks from my garden and they were on the small side so I had much more sauce than leeks. The sauce was very good and I agree it would be good with any vegetable. I also think I would saute the leeks next time for just a little extra flavor. -
This was to die for! I actually used 3 leaks and added a red pepper and a package of mushrooms (which I sauteed and lightly drained first). I can see using this cream and cheese base with almost any vegetable combination. Thanks!!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
FlemishMinx
Belgium
I am an American married to a Belgian, and have lived in Belgium since December 1999. Cooking is my major hobby. I'm also an avid reader, but I have difficulty finding the time. I love to travel. Since moving to Europe I've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to go a couple of times per year to Paris, as well as having visited London, Rome, Florence, Naples, Amsterdam, and of course Brussels and Antwerp. I've seen at least parts of most regions of France, as well as parts of Germany, Austria, a great deal of Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Luxembourg, and Monaco. I'm absolutely in love with the Bay of Naples and Sorrento coast areas of Italy, which my husband and I recently re-visited on a trip that included Rome, Puglia, Umbria and Marche. I'm still looking forward to Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic . . . the list is too long ! One of the bonuses of travel is getting to taste the local cuisine, and afterward trying to figure out how to duplicate it at home.
I think cooking is one of the nicest things a person can do for someone they love (including themself!)
I had to submit a picture with me and my cat, Sophie, as she insists on sitting in my lap when I'm sitting at the computer. If you are wondering what all that stuff hanging on the wall behind us in the photo is, it is just a small part of my husband's military medal collection. He was appalled by my posting this picture-- Our study is the messiest room in our house (thank god!)
