Individual Baked Spinach Gratins

by Emily

When I saw Deb post this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I pretty much felt like there was no way this couldn’t be pretty dang good.  I mean, pairing Julia Child’s recipe with Deb’s buy-in basically makes it a sure thing, right?  I found it to be an especially accessible recipe because while it is, in fact, delish, it is pretty much no frills in terms of the ingredients… and I happened to have all items on hand. No trip to the grocery store means you can forget about the hard sell, this recipe is a done deal. 

Individual Baked Spinach Gratins
adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Best Baked Spinach via Julia Child

Serves 4

1 pounds fresh spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup stock or cream (I used cream)
1/3 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
1/4 cup Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375˙.

Place washed spinach in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered until wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a colander and immediately shock with ice to stop the spinach from cooking.  Fully drain. Squeeze spinach of excess moisture in colander or with your hands. Once drained, chop the spinach coarsely.

Wipe out the pot and melt the butter over moderately high heat.  Stir in the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes or until all the moisture from the spinach has cooked off.

Lower the heat and sprinkle with flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stock or cream slowly. Once the liquid is added, simmer for another minute or two, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly butter 4 ramekins (or a small, shallow baking dish). Stir Swiss cheese into the spinach and scoop evenly into ramekins. Mix the Parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on spinach. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and slightly brown on the top.