Boulud's Gratin

If you watch Top Chef, you will have seen guest appearances by famous French chef and generally adorable man, Daniel Boulud. He's the one who judged the snail-based quickfire challenge, famously complaining that he "couldn't taste the snail," which only seems like a bad thing if you are a French chef.

Anyway, this snail-free gratin recipe looks totally delicious and, happily, it doesn't contain either of the Forbidden Vegetables (broccoli and mushrooms) but only harmless Swiss chard.

I have a feeling Guy would like to object to chard, but cannot legitimately do so, having little to no awareness of what it actually is. He probably knows it's a green vegetable, so it's already "on notice" but I can probably get him to warily agree to eat it once it's safely smothered in gruyère, butter, garlic and parmesan:

• 6 lb. Swiss chard, washed, leaves and stems separated

• 2 T butter

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

• 2 T flour

• 1 cup milk

• ¼ tsp. nutmeg

• ½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese

• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, remove, and chill in the ice water. Strain well; chop leaves roughly and set aside. Cut the stems into thin slices. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 clove garlic, and stems, cooking until tender; remove and set aside. Add the flour and the remaining butter to the pan and reduce heat to low. Stir for 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the butter. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the milk and nutmeg. Cook, whisking, for 3 minutes. With a wooden spoon, add the chopped leaves, reserved garlic, and stems; season to taste. Transfer to a small casserole or individual-size casserole dishes. Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses and bake 6–8 minutes or until golden brown.