Broccoli and cheese recipe goes a-rye

Welp, I finally did it. It only took a month. I was finally too ambitious for my small skillet.

It was, admittedly, sketchy to begin with. Even though the recipe called for a 9-inch dish, it did specify that it should be square and deep, so I was already cutting it close.

But I figured I’d give this broccoli and cheese casserole with toasted rye a shot anyway, because it sounded so good, and everything else had worked so far, right?

Well, it turned out that making the cheese sauce nearly filled my skillet to the brim. That made it pretty hard to fit in lots of broccoli, let alone top it with anything.

I nearly decided to scrap it as a blog post entirely since it went so far off the rails. But as I thought about it, I realized it all actually worked out and showed the importance of adapting in cooking.

Sure the recipe said some things, but as I read the signs of what was happening my braiser, I knew I needed to change. And so often when I actually fail at making something it’s because I ignore the signs. Something isn’t working early on but I press on anyway.

This time, I saw how much cheese sauce I had and not only was it too much for my braiser, but it was also too much for the amount of broccoli I had. So, thankfully, I had and added a head (the recipe called for 3, and I had 4). I also saw that the slices of bread weren’t enough, so I doubled that as well.

I didn’t even attempt to fit it in my skillet; I just found a casserole dish that was more than large enough.

And, honestly, it ended up working out well. I had to adapt, sure, and it was frustrating at times to realize my recipe wasn’t working as expected, but I’m infinitely happier for recognizing where things were going a-rye (sorry, I had to), and making changes.

So, here’s what I did, using my little skillet for the sauce only:

Ingredients

• 4 large broccoli heads, roughly chopped, stems discarded
• 1 ½ stick (12 T.) butter, divided
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ⅔ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 (12 oz.) can/bottle of beer
• 1 c. half and half
• 12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t. dry mustard
• ~4 slices rye bread, torn or cut into about ½ in. pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cooking spray

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly coat an 8-inch by 11-inch casserole or larger with the cooking spray.

Meanwhile, add water to a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove, with enough water to cover the broccoli pieces. Add some salt, and then cook the broccoli until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and then let stand in ice water for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is prepared.

Meanwhile, melt 1 stick (8 T.) in a skillet or braiser on the stove top over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Whisk in flour gradually and stir until incorporated and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in beer and half and half. Cook until sauce thickens and begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper, and stir until smooth, adding cheese in batches as appropriate. Remove sauce from heat.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining half stick (4 T.) butter in a medium bowl, and add the rye slices, mixing until butter coats the bread.

To bring it all together, add the broccoli to the prepared casserole dish, pour on the cheese sauce, and then finally add the coated bread slices on top. Bake the mixture, uncovered, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes, and enjoy!