Chef Thomas
Baked Onions with Cream and Thyme
Whole onions surrendered to a low oven with cream and thyme until they collapse into something golden, sweet and yielding, the kind of side dish that quietly upstages everything else on the table.
Culinary Explorer
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Creamed Savoy Cabbage Gratin
Created by Chef Thomas
Savoy cabbage ribbons folded through cream and nutmeg, topped with cheese-scattered breadcrumbs and baked until the whole dish turns golden, bubbling, and impossible to leave alone.
Side Dishes
British
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
20 min
Active Time
35 min cook•55 min total
Yield4-6 servings as a side
January. The garden is bare and the market stalls are half what they were in September. But there's a Savoy cabbage, heavy and cool in the hand, its crinkled leaves still frosted at the edges. This is its moment. A cabbage that has been through a frost tastes sweeter than one that hasn't, and a Savoy takes to cream the way few other vegetables do.
A gratin is a generous way to cook it. You blanch the cabbage briefly, fold it through a simple cream sauce sharpened with nutmeg, and bake the whole thing under breadcrumbs until the top goes golden and the cream bubbles up at the edges. The kitchen fills with that particular smell of butter and toasting bread and warming cream that makes people wander in and ask what's for dinner.
I wrote this down in the notebook years ago, the first time I made it as a side for a roast chicken on a Sunday when the wind was rattling the window. The note said: cabbage gratin, nutmeg, good. That was enough. It's a dish that doesn't ask for much, a decent cabbage, real cream, some attention, and gives back more than it should. There are few better feelings than putting a warm plate in front of someone on a cold evening and watching them go back for a second spoonful without being asked.
A recipe is a conversation, not a contract. If you want to add a layer of leeks, do. If you prefer Gruyère to Parmesan, use it. Your kitchen, your rules.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Savoy cabbage
Quantity
1 large
outer leaves removed, quartered, cored, and sliced into thick ribbons
unsalted butter
Quantity
40g, plus extra for the dish
garlic
Quantity
2 cloves
finely sliced
plain flour
Quantity
1 tablespoon
double cream
Quantity
300ml
whole milk
Quantity
150ml
nutmeg
Quantity
generous grating
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
fresh white breadcrumbs
Quantity
80g
Parmesan or aged hard cheese
Quantity
40g
finely grated
thyme leaves (optional)
Quantity
a few
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Savoy cabbageouter leaves removed, quartered, cored, and sliced into thick ribbons | 1 large |
| unsalted butter | 40g, plus extra for the dish |
| garlicfinely sliced | 2 cloves |
| plain flour | 1 tablespoon |
| double cream | 300ml |
| whole milk | 150ml |
| nutmeg | generous grating |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
| fresh white breadcrumbs | 80g |
| Parmesan or aged hard cheesefinely grated | 40g |
| thyme leaves (optional) | a few |
Equipment Needed
- •Large saucepan for blanching
- •Wide, heavy-bottomed pan for the sauce
- •Shallow gratin dish, roughly 25cm
- •Box grater or fine microplane for the nutmeg
Instructions
- 1
Blanch the cabbage
Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, and slice it into thick ribbons, roughly the width of two fingers. Drop them into the water and blanch for two minutes, no more. You want the leaves to soften and lose their rawness, but keep their colour and a little resistance. Drain well and spread on a clean tea towel to dry. Wet cabbage in cream is a gratin's undoing.
Don't trim the crinkled leaves too eagerly. The darker outer leaves of a Savoy have more flavour than the pale inner heart. Use them all. - 2
Build the cream sauce
Melt the butter in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. When it foams, add the sliced garlic and let it soften for a minute. It should smell sweet and warm, not sharp. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute, just long enough to lose the raw taste. Pour in the cream and milk, stirring as it comes together into something smooth and loose. Let it simmer gently for three or four minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Grate in the nutmeg, a generous amount, more than you think. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it. The sauce should be savoury and slightly peppery, with the nutmeg sitting warmly in the background.
- 3
Combine and transfer
Set the oven to 200C/180C fan. Butter a gratin dish, something shallow and wide that gives you plenty of surface for the crust. Fold the blanched cabbage through the cream sauce, turning it gently until every ribbon is coated. Tip the lot into the dish and spread it evenly. Don't press it down too firmly. You want some air, some unevenness, so the cream can bubble up between the layers.
- 4
Top with breadcrumbs
Toss the breadcrumbs with the grated cheese and the thyme leaves, if using. Scatter this over the top of the gratin in an even layer. Dot with a few small pieces of butter. It doesn't need to be precise. The butter will melt and find the breadcrumbs on its own.
Make your own breadcrumbs from a day-old loaf. Tear it into rough chunks and pulse briefly. You want texture, not dust. The irregular crumbs crisp unevenly, and that's exactly what you're after. - 5
Bake until golden
Bake for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until the top is deep golden and the cream is bubbling up at the edges, thick and glossy. If the breadcrumbs are browning too fast, move the dish to a lower shelf. Let it rest for five minutes out of the oven before bringing it to the table. It needs that time to settle, and the first spoonful is better when it isn't scalding.
Chef Tips
- •The cabbage must be properly dried after blanching. Squeeze it gently in a clean tea towel if you need to. Water hiding in the leaves will thin the cream sauce and you'll end up with something watery at the bottom of the dish instead of something rich and clinging.
- •Nutmeg and cabbage are old friends. Use a whole nutmeg and a fine grater, not the pre-ground sort that smells of very little. Grate more than feels comfortable. It will mellow in the oven and become a warmth rather than a flavour.
- •This sits beautifully beside a roast chicken or a piece of slow-cooked pork, but it's also a perfectly good supper on its own with some bread and a green salad. Don't let anyone tell you a side dish can't be the main event.
- •If you have a heel of good cheese in the fridge, something hard and salty and past its prime, grate it into the breadcrumbs. Aged Cheddar, Lancashire, Parmesan, whatever is there. The gratin is forgiving.
Advance Preparation
- •The cabbage can be blanched and dried several hours ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.
- •The whole gratin can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated for up to a day before baking. Add five minutes to the cooking time if baking from cold, and make sure the cream is bubbling properly at the edges before you take it out.
- •Leftovers reheat well in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. The breadcrumbs lose some of their crispness, but the creamed cabbage underneath only improves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
485 calories
Total Fat
40 g
Saturated Fat
25 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
745 mg
Total Carbohydrates
24 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
10 g
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