My review of Chard Gratin recipe from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

This was my first recipe review for the CHOW's Cookbook of the Month.

This was a fabulous way to use up a bunch of greens I had bought at the Farmers Market last week. Recipe was simle and easy to follow, I have just a couple of suggestions: 1) next time I would add a little more milk - the finished result was tasty but could've been a little moister. 2) If you use chard the cooking time would probably be appropriate, but since I used mixed greens (including some tougher types like collards), I pre-cooked the greens a little longer. All in all a very tasty healthier and heartier version of "creamed spinach".

Here's the original recipe:

CHARD GRATIN
from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 bunches chard, washed and stemmed, saving half of the stems
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Butter
1 onion, diced
Salt
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg

PREPARATION:
1. After washing and stemming the chard, save half the chard stems and slice them thinly. Cook the stems for about 2 minutes in 2 quarts boiling salted water. Add the chard leaves and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the stems and leaves and coarsely chop them.
2. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 teaspoons melted butter. Toast them on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, stirring now and then, until lightly brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons flour over the onion-chard mix. Stir well and add 1/2 cup milk and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more milk if the mixture gets too thick. The chard should be moist but not floating in liquid. Taste and add salt if needed.
4. Butter a small baking dish. Spread the chard mixture evenly in the dish and dot with 2 teaspoons butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Bake in a 350°F oven until the gratin is golden and bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.