Triple-Cheese Broccoli Puff

Valentine Day came and went. Tyler is not a flowers-and-reservation man. He is a I-noticed-you-liked-that-thing man. He brought home a bottle of the hot sauce I mentioned once six weeks ago and a bag of the specific coffee I said I wanted to try and a card that said things in his handwriting that I will not repeat here because some things are just mine.

I made pasta. Actual pasta, the kind with three cheeses and cream and a lot of black pepper. Not a Valentine Day recipe, just a Tuesday pasta, but I lit candles on the duplex table and we sat across from each other and it was fine and good and real. I do not need it to be more than fine and good and real. I spent most of my life wanting exactly this and now that I have it I keep waiting for the other shoe and the other shoe does not drop. It just stays where shoes are supposed to be.

Sunday at Gloria this week she told me she is thinking about retiring from fostering after Destiny. She is seventy-one. Her hips hurt. She said Destiny will be with her as long as Destiny needs to be and then she will see. I did not say anything about what she was really saying, which was that she is slowing down. She knows that. She does not need me to name it. I just made the food and we ate and I let her say what she needed to say and that was enough.

The pasta I made that night was close to this — layered, cheesy, warm in the way food gets warm when you make it for someone specific. This Triple-Cheese Broccoli Puff is the recipe I keep coming back to when I want something that holds together without asking too much of me, the kind of dish you can make on a Tuesday or a Sunday at Gloria’s or any night that deserves candles even if nobody called it special.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut small
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for greasing)

Instructions

Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Blanch the broccoli. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 2 minutes, just until bright green and slightly tender. Drain well and pat dry with a clean towel — excess moisture will make the puff watery.
Mix the cheese custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and sour cream until smooth. Stir in the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until fully combined.
Layer the dish. Spread the blanched broccoli evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan over the top, reserving a small handful of each for the final layer.
Pour & top. Pour the cream and egg mixture evenly over the broccoli and cheese. Scatter the reserved cheeses over the top so the surface will brown and bubble.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and puffed and the center is just set when gently shaken. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
Rest & serve. Let the puff rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. It will settle slightly — that’s normal. Serve warm, with cracked black pepper over the top if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Triple-Cheese Broccoli Puff — The Tuesday Pasta That Felt Like Enough