Creamy Christmas Cabbage

This is dish I only make once a year for Christmas because its so good but so bad for you. It of course involves pork fat. The smoky salty bacon perfectly flavors the bland but sweet cabbage.

Bacon Creamed Chinese Cabbage

1 large chinese cabbage (3-4lbs)

1/2pkg bacon

4Tbsp AP flour

3 cups milk

1/2 cup cream

salt

white pepper

Wash cabbage and cut into 2inch chunks. Cook all the stem portions first till softened. Add the leafy parts and cook till wilted. Remove from pan and drain the liquid. Cut bacon into chunks and render the fat and cook till crispy. Remove bacon from pan and add the flour to the rendered fat (2-3Tbsp) to make a roux. Cook flour and fat paste for 3-4 min to cook out raw flour taste. Add milk slowly and whisk to combine and prevent lumps. Add cream, salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil for 2 min while whisking. Stir in cabbage and 3/4 of the bacon. Combine well. Pour into oven safe dish and bake at 350F until bubbly. Sprinkle remaining bacon on top and serve hot.