Alexanders Floret Gratin
Alexanders Floret Gratin is a modern British recipe for a classic vegetarian main or accompaniment dish of wild alexanders florets baked in a cheesy milk sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Alexanders Floret Gratin.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodVegetarian RecipesMilk RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesBritish Recipes
This is an excellent way of making a vegetarian main or side dish using alexanders flower buds. However, you could also easily make these with tenderstem broccoli instead.
Ingredients:
500g alexanders florets, buds or green flowers (substitute tenderstem-broccoli)
30g butter (plus extra for greasing)
30g plain flour
40g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
500ml milk
3 tbsp finely-grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Gently rinse the alexanders pieces under a cold tap then transfer to a colander to drain.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt, followed by the alexanders. If you are using different parts of the plant add them in this order: florets and buds (3 minutes to cook); green flowers 1 minute to cook. Cook until just knife tender then rinse under cold water to stop any further cooking and to preserve their colour.
Once the alexanders pieces are cold, arrange on a clean tea towel and pat gently to remove any excess moisture. If there are any closed buds hold them upside down and squeeze gently to remove any liquid that might have found its way inside.
Pre-heat your oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan/400˚F). Now make a start on the sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Scatter over the flour and stir to combine. Cook gently, stirring, for 1 minute until the flour is no longer raw. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 4 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese. Taste and adjust the seasonings then add the alexanders florets and stir gently to combine.
Pour the resultant mixture into a greased ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the grated Parmesan then transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Serve hot direct from the baking dish.