BROCCOLI WITH BLUE CHEESE SAUCE

Broccoli with Blue Cheese Sauce image

Provided by Geoffrey Zakarian

Time 55m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups milk, warmed
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 Fresno chile, minced

Steps:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until the butter begins to toast the flour, about 3 minutes. Add the rosemary and nutmeg and whisk for 15 seconds to toast. Add the milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the blue cheese and whisk until melted. Set aside over low heat to keep warm.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of ice water and set aside. Line a tray with paper towels.
Trim the broccoli stems and break the heads into equal-size florets. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and let cook until bright green and tender but still with a slight resistance when pierced with a knife, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to the ice bath for about 10 seconds just to shock and stop the cooking. Using a spider or a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli from the ice bath to the paper towel-lined tray. Give the tray a good shake to get any excess water off the broccoli. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter together with the olive oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli and toss gently with a wooden spoon or tongs to coat. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the heat and ladle the warmed blue cheese sauce over the top. Garnish with the minced Fresno and freshly ground black pepper.