Rwop Finalist Swiss Chard Au Gratin Recipes

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the stems from the chard but keep the leaves whole. Add the chard to the boiling water (the pot will be packed at first) and cook for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cool water. Drain again, then wrap the chard in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the excess water. Chop the chard.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Stir in 1/3 cup Roasted Garlic Paste.
• Spread half the chard in the bottom of a medium casserole dish. Top with half the garlic sauce and half the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and turn on the broiler.
• Halve the bread lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise to make four 12-inch-long pieces. Broil the bread, cut-side up, until charred, about 1 minute. Slather with the remaining Roasted Garlic Paste and top each piece with one-quarter of the chard au gratin. Cut each pizza in half and serve.
• The unbaked chard au gratin can covered be and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bring to room temperature, then bake as directed.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the garlic in a cluster on a large piece of foil and drizzle with 1/4 cup EVOO. Wrap up the garlic in the foil to make a tightly sealed pouch. Roast until very tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic from the skins into a food processor. Add the remaining 3/4 cup EVOO and the honey and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, then transfer to a small container. (Alternatively, you can mash the garlic paste with a fork instead of using a food processor.)

Steps:

• Arrange the rack in the middle of oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
• Stem the chard, keeping the leaves whole. Salt the boiling water and add the chard and let wilt. The pot will be packed at first. Boil the chard 10 minutes, drain in a colander and run under cool water. Let it drain and squeeze out any excess liquid in a clean kitchen towel. Chop.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, and then whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the roasted garlic paste. Thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon and adjust seasonings to taste.
• Layer half the greens in a medium casserole (8 to 10 inches long). Top with half the bechamel sauce and half the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown, 20 to 30.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cook bacon in a medium skillet over moderately high heat until the fat is rendered, 3 to 5 min. Transfer bacon to paper towels, keeping the drippings in the skillet. Add the butter along with the garlic and 1/2 of the shallots to skillet. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 2 min. Add cream cheese, Havarti, and whisk in whipping cream. Simmer until reduced by half, about 8 min. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add olive oil and sauté Swiss chard leaves with the remaining shallots until softened, about 3 min. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer chard leaves to a shallow baking dish and cover with the cream cheese mixture. Top with panko and crumbled bacon. Bake until crumbs are toasted and the casserole is bubbling, about 30 min.