Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 1/2 inch off the top end (opposite root end) of each garlic head, exposing top of garlic cloves. Remove any loose papery outer skin. Place garlic cut side up in nonaluminum baking dish. Top with butter. Pour oil over. Add 1 can broth and the wine to the dish. Sprinkle chopped rosemary over garlic. Place 2 rosemary sprigs in the dish. Season with pepper. (can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Bake uncovered until garlic is tender, basting every 15 minutes with pan juices and adding more broth f necessary to maintain some sauce n the dish, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Add the cheese to the dish and continue baking until cheese is almost melted, about 10 minutes. Discard cooked rosemary sprigs. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.
SERVE
Have your guests dip crusty French bread into the cooking juices, then spread it with the garlic and melted cheese.
Recipe Tips
We decided that the original recipe (as shown) had more fat than it really needed. When we tested the recipe we cut the amount of butter, as well as the amount of oil in half. We also used fat free chicken broth. The cheese and the broth have plenty of salt so no additional salt was required in the dish.
Serving Tips
In some situations it may be more convenient to prepare this dish as individual servings. Divide the ingredients equally among 6 gratin dishes. This will make an attractive and individualized presentation. The BIA 5" dish pictured below is a perfect serving dish for this, or anything individually baked including Flan or Creme Brulee.
Garlic and Good Health
This is an excerpt from an article by Dr. Andrew Weil:
"Garlic is a powerful natural medicine in addition to being a strong-flavored seasoning for food. Garlic has abilities to lower cholesterol and reduce the clotting tendency of the blood. It can also help lower high blood pressure. In addition raw garlic is a potent antibiotic, especially active against fungal infections, with antibacterial and antiviral effects as well. The best home remedy I have found for colds is to eat several cloves of raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms. "