Recipe from Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi
I have looked at this picture in this cookbook for years now and finally, I have the right ingredients in this week's share to use it! Seems a little odd to top fennel and cherry tomatoes with a sweet crumble, but I think if you made a really basic soft white fish to go with it, the sweetness from the fish and this dish would complement quite well.
2 lb Fennel Bulbs
3 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Thyme Leaves, plus a few whole sprigs
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 TB coarse Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 cup Whipping Cream
1/2 recipe of Crumble (recipe below)
3 to 4 oz Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
10 oz Cherry Tomatoes,
1 tsp chopped Flat-leaf Parsley
Crumble:
10 oz All-purpose Flour
3 oz Sugar
7 oz cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes
Mix all the ingredients with your hands, working it to a uniform breadcrumb size. You can store the unused crumble in a container for up to 5 days or for ages in the freezer.
Preheat oven to 375. Trim off the fennel stalks and cut each bulb lengthways in half. Cut each half into slices 1/2" thick. Place in a large bowl with the olive oil, thyme leaves, garlic, salt and pepper and toss together. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and pour the cream over the fennel. Mix the crumble (1/2 of the recipe only) with the Parmesan and scatter evenly on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and arrange the tomatoes on top. Scatter a few thyme sprigs on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. By now the fennel should feel soft when poked with a knife and the gratin should have a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over and serve hot or warm.