Parmesan Fennel Gratin

I'm slowly accepting that fall is here so I'm getting into all the root vegetables and squashes available right now.  I wanted to do something with fennel, and with a quick search, I picked out Ina Garten's Parmesan fennel gratin on Food Network's site.

Ina Garten's Parmesan Fennel Gratin

I like that the fennel is oven-braised in chicken stock and white wine to soften the vegetable.  The anise or licorice flavor of raw fennel becomes very mild as the fennel cooks.  So if you're not a fan of raw fennel, I suggest trying this preparation at least once before swearing off fennel entirely.

Using panko crumbs for this is key to get a nice, crunchy topping.  Each time I make this, I may bake the dish for more or less time than the recipe suggests to make sure the topping gets golden brown and toasty and the fennel is tender they way I like.  To get maximum topping coverage and crunch, I prefer to lay the fennel down on one of the cut sides rather than with the pointy end facing up.  This way there's more surface to hold the topping.  All the wedges don't end up fitting in one baking dish but I don't mind baking in two dishes at the same time.

I noticed a difference between the Food Network video and the written recipe on how much salt to use.  In the video, Ina uses 1 tsp of salt and makes a larger batch than the written recipe.  So I used 1 tsp of salt for 3 fennel bulbs instead of 2 tsp stated in the written recipe.  I thought 1 tsp was fine since the chicken stock and Parmesan cheese also add salt to the dish.

Even though there's Italian parsley in the topping, I also chop some of the green fennel fronds and sprinkle over the top before serving to add some fresh color.  Great dish for an everyday meal or even Thanksgiving.

This is from the first time I made this recipe.  My kitchen lighting is terrible so color tone isn't captured they way I'd like.

My Rating (out of 5): 4