Cauliflower Gratin
I love creamy, cheesy, buttery vegetable
gratins, but for this recipe I decided
to rely on cauliflower’s natural ability
to become an ultra-creamy puree and
forget the heavy cream. Don’t worry, it
still has the requisite butter and cheese,
though less than what is normally used.
This recipe serves 8 to 10 and can easily
be halved.
8 Tbsp butter
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 heads cauliflower, each sliced across
the bottom, trimmed, and cut
into 1 ½” florets.
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¾ tsp dry mustard
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp minced chives
Salt and pepper
Adjust oven rack to middle position
and heat to 400 degrees. Melt 2 Tbsp
butter in medium skillet. Add Panko
and cook until Panko is golden brown.
Remove from heat and transfer to a
bowl. Cool slightly and mix in ½ cup
parmesan cheese.
Place 3 cups water and 2 Tbsp butter
in bottom of a Dutch oven with a tight-
fitting lid. Add the cauliflower, cover,
and bring to a boil over high heat.
Immediately reduce heat to medium
and cook florets until tender, or when a
paring knife easily slips in and out. Do
not overcook. You want the florets to be
intact, and not mushy.
Drain cauliflower, reserving cook-
ing liquid. Transfer cooking liquid to a
blender and add about one fourth of the
cauliflower. Transfer remaining florets 9”
x 11” baking dish.
To the cooking liquid in the blender,
add 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper (or
white if you prefer), mustard, nutmeg,
cayenne and remaining ½ cup parme-
san cheese. Process until very smooth,
about one minute. Combine cornstarch
and 1 teaspoon cold water in a small
bowl and whisk to dissolve. With
blender running, slowly add cornstarch
mixture. Taste cauliflower puree mix-
ture and adjust salt, pepper and other
seasonings if desired. The puree should
be pourable. If it isn’t, add enough
water so the puree pours from the
blender.
Pour the cauliflower puree over the
florets in the baking dish, toss gently,
and smooth top with a spatula. Scatter
Panko mixture evenly over top.
Bake until the sauce bubbles around
the edge, about 15 minutes. Let stand
for 20 minutes, sprinkle with chives,
and serve.
Whole Pot-Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Olives
If you read food magazines, restaurant
menus, or follow food blogs, then you
know pot-roasted cauliflower is all the
rage. It can be served as a side dish, or
a light vegetarian main dish. This tangy
sauce goes beautifully with the cauli-
flower. To make sure the flavors pen-
etrate the cauliflower, start by cooking
upside down and spooning the sauce
into all the crevices. Finish by roasting
it upright, with the sauce pored over,
until the cauliflower is fork tender. This
recipe was adapted from one in Cooks
Illustrated.
2
28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 oz anchovies, drained and minced
6
garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp salt
1 head cauliflower, about 2 lbs., outer
leaves trimmed and stem cut
flush with bottom
⅓ cup golden raisins
⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
3 Tbsp capers, rinsed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SPRING 2020
Adjust oven rack to middle position
and heat to 450 degrees. Pulse toma-
toes in food processor until coarsely
chopped.
Heat olive oil, anchovies, garlic, red
pepper flakes in an oven proof Dutch
oven over medium heat about 2 min-
utes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Stir in tomatoes and cook until slightly
thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in
raisins, olives and capers. Nestle cauli-
flower, stem side up, into sauce. Spoon
sauce all over, cover the pot, and place
in oven. Roast about 35 to 40 minutes
or until cauliflower is just barely tender
(a paring knife slips in and out with
some resistance).
Uncover pot, and using two large
spatulas or tongs, carefully flip cauli-
flower stem side down. Spoon more
sauce over the cauliflower, scrape down
the sides of the pot, and roast uncov-
ered, until cauliflower is tender, about
10 to 15 minutes.
Remove pot from oven. At this point
you can serve directly from the pot or
transfer cauliflower and sauce to heated
serving dish. Sprinkle cauliflower with
parmesan cheese, and drizzle with extra
olive oil. Cut into wedges, spoon sauce
over, and serve.
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