Leek Gratin with Lemon Béchamel
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
4 servings
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
French
Leek Gratin with Lemon Béchamel
Description
This Leek Gratin with Lemon Béchamel combines steamed pale leek sections cooked slowly in butter and vegetable stock until tender, then topped with a smooth béchamel infused with fresh lemon zest. The lemon peel is carefully used to avoid the bitter white pith, imparting a fragrant, fresh aroma to the white sauce. The béchamel is prepared by browning butter and flour before adding milk that has steeped with lemon peel, resulting in a silky sauce.
Grated Beaufort cheese adds a nutty, creamy finish that melts and browns appealingly during baking. The dish merges the mild sweetness of leeks with the brightness of lemon and the rich texture of the sauce and cheese topping.
This gratin serves well as a refined vegetable side dish, suitable alongside roasted meats or as part of a vegetarian meal. It showcases classic techniques elevated by the citrus touch for complexity.
Ingredients
Steaming leeks:
- 6 leek whites
- 40 g butter semi-salted
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 1 pinch salt
Lemon béchamel:
- ½ lemon peel untreated, yellow
- 300 ml milk
- 20 g butter
- 20 g flour
- 1 pinch salt
The finish:
- 50 g Beaufort cheese see above for substitutes, grated
- ½ lemon peel untreated, yellow
Instructions
How to Make the Steamed Leeks:
- Cut the leek whites in half lengthwise to make cleaning easier.
- Soak them in a large volume of cold water and shake to remove all the sand. Take them out of the water. Cut them finely.
- In a frying pan, cook over medium heat with the butter for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and mix. Gradually pour in the vegetable stock with a ladle until the leeks are well cooked and tender.
- Remove from the heat. Set aside.
How to Make the Béchamel:
- Remove the half-peel of the lemon with a peeler, or a peeler knife, taking care not to scratch the white skin, which is bitter.
- Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, remove from the heat, and then add the lemon zest to infuse it for 5 minutes.
- Filter the perfumed milk through a strainer.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan (be careful that it does not start to color) and then add the flour passed through a dry sieve.
- Let it boil slowly for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook the flour well. With a ladle, add the very hot milk, little by little, taking care to boil the sauce for a few seconds each time you pour in the milk (to avoid lumps). Add a little salt.
- Set aside, off the heat.
The Finish:
- Preheat the oven to the broil position.
- In a salad bowl, mix the leek with the béchamel sauce. Place this mixture in a gratin dish.
- Sprinkle with grated Beaufort cheese.
- Put in the oven and leave to gratinate for 3 or 4 minutes, more or less depending on the oven, watch carefully!
- Take the gratin out and finish the recipe by adding, at the last moment, the grated lemon half-zest.
Notes
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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