Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

2 pounds broccoli, stems removed (can use vegetable peeler to peel, then slice and eat like
celery), large florets cut, yielding about 8 cups of broccoli florets
Salt for blanching water
2 strips of thick-cut bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips
1/3 cup all purpose flour
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
2 to 3 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper (1 to 2 teaspoons if using fine ground black
pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). While the water
in step one is coming to a boil, cook the bacon pieces on medium heat in a frying pan until lightly
browned, but not crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Set
aside.

Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes or until just tender enough
so that a fork can easily pierce the floret, but still firm. Strain and rinse with cold water to
stop the cooking. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a bowl, whisk the eggs into the flour,
then whisk in the cream and milk. Add the black pepper (more or less to taste), salt, and mustard.
Mix in about a third of the cheese.

Place the parboiled broccoli florets in the casserole dish, sprinkling about a third of the cheese
over the broccoli florets as you lay them down. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the broccoli. Pour
the egg, cream, milk, cheese mixture over the broccoli, moving the broccoli pieces a bit so that the
mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 25-40 minutes, or until set. Once the top has browned, you may want to tent with aluminum
foil to keep from burning.

Source URL: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/broccoli_cheese_casserole/