Full question
I made the Fennel Gratin from Cook, Eat, Repeat and at the stage where you add salt to the measured double cream, my mixture became extremely thick and lumpy. Almost a dough-like consistency. I used kosher salt, is this the reason why?
Our answer
Nigella's Fennel Gratin (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is a delicious combination of nutty Gruyère cheese with the anise notes of fennel. The fennel is braised until tender, then coated in a cream-based sauce made from double cream, grated cheese and the cooking liquid from the fennel and then seasoned with salt.
The salt (kosher or fine sea salt) would not normally cause the cream to thicken on its own and it sounds as if the cream may have curdled slightly. We wonder if there was some thin liquid as well as the thicker mixture? The addition of the hot cooking liquid and salt would only have caused the cream to curdle if it is a lower fat cream or if the cream is at the end of its lifespan. Alternatively, if the cheese was already mixed into the cream and the cooking liquid was still hot when it was added, this could cause the cheese to start melting, in turn causing the mixture to thicken. You may be able to warm the mixture slightly to see if it loosens a little and then add 2 teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 teaspoons of water to help to re-emulsify the mixture.
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