rochellerella: Cauliflower Gratin

April 12, 2011

Cauliflower Gratin

I just have a minute, so I'll share a quick side dish with you.

Cauliflower Gratin was something I grew up eating. I loveeee cauliflower, and this is one of my favorite dishes. It's pure melt-in-your-mouth cheesy goodness. It's sort of like au gratin potatoes, except cauliflower.

Credit of this recipe goes to mi Madre. I know I poked fun of her pork steaks, but this cancels that out...Right?

Yum yum.

Cauliflower Gratin

(Printable Version)

What you'll need:
1 head of cauliflower
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 oz swiss cheese

First, trim the cauliflower into bite sized pieces.

In a saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat.

Add the flour to the melted butter, and whisk until combined.

It will be kind of lumpy. This is called a roux--it's a thickener. You can add a roux to any sauce to thicken it.

Side Topic: Roux
To make a thickened sauce from a roux, melt the butter, then add the flour, then the liquid. It's always equal parts butter to flour (1 tablespoon of butter--1 tablespoon of flour.)

If you're thickening an already made sauce (or soup), melt the butter and add the flour. Then add some (a cup at a time) of the already made sauce (or soup) liquid to the roux. Whisk it until liquidy and smooth (not lumpy). When the roux is thick, but smooth, then add it to the sauce (or soup). Then, bring it to a boil. It thickens at a boil--so don't forget this step.

I'll have more on this in a later post, I promise. Maybe I'll do a How To post.

End Side Topic.

Slowly, SLOWLY, add the milk--stirring to incorporate. I cannot emphasize slowly enough, this prevents lumps.

See. Thick. Lump Free. Looks like gravy.
Add your salt and pepper, and garlic powder.

You just made what our grandma's call a "white sauce".

Pour this white sauce over the cauliflower in a 9x9 baking dish. Mix it in and make sure the cauliflower is saturated with sauce.