Cauliflower Gratin

Cauliflower Gratin

Thanksgiving is almost here!  You probably already have your menu planned, but if you’re like me…one particular side dish is an after thought.  The turkey, the stuffing, the potatoes…they are all center-stage.  Then, there’s the vegetable.  You have to have it.  What kind of nutritious meal would it be without at least one vegetable on the table?!  But, you don’t really care what it is or how it is prepared.  This Cauliflower Gratin revolutionizes my Thanksgiving table.  Instead of seconds of the stuffing and potatoes, I’m reaching for more of this cheesy cauliflower dish.  What makes it so special?  Gruyere.  Period.  That is what makes this vegetable dish a rock star at the table.  The nuttiness of this cheese puts this dish over the top.  Give it a try and I think you will agree.  The recipe is basically followed from Ina Garten’s, but I did give it a few tweaks.  So here is my rendition…and maybe you will agree that the veggie will win best of show at the table this year!

Ingredients
2 (3 lbs. each) heads of cauliflower

Kosher salt

8 Tablespoons butter

6 Tablespoons flour

4 Cups hot milk (I used 2%)

1 Teaspoon pepper

¼ Teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½ Cups Gruyere, grated

1 Cup Parmesan (freshly grated is best)

½ Cup panko bread crumbs

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Using a stock pot, put hot water on the bottom and put it on the burner over medium-high heat.  Then prepare the cauliflower by cutting it into large florets.  When the water in the stock pot is boiling, put half of the cauliflower into the steam basket.  Cover and steam the cauliflower for 6 minutes.  Put the cauliflower in a bowl and steam the rest for another 6 minutes.

Step 2

Grate your Gruyere and parmesan, so they will be ready when your sauce is finished.  Also, place the milk in the microwave and let it heat for a couple of minutes, until it is hot.

Step 3

Next, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat.  When it has melted, add the flour and whisk constantly, cooking the roux for about 2 minutes.  Pour the hot milk into the roux and whisk it to combine into a smooth mixture.  Bring the sauce to a boil, for about 1 minute, until it thickens.  Then remove it from the heat and add 2 teaspoons of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1 cup of the Gruyere and the parmesan.  Mix it just to melt the cheese and combine the sauce.  At this point, I taste it to make sure it is the way I want it.

Step 4

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Place the cauliflower on top of the sauce and then pour the rest of the sauce evenly over top.  Note:  At this point, you can put the dish aside and finish right before you are ready to bake it.  It makes a great do ahead veggie!!!  When you are ready to bake it, combine the bread crumbs with the rest of the Gruyere and sprinkle them evenly over the top.  Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle it over the the bread crumbs.  Bake the gratin for 30 -40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Gastronome's Note:  The cauliflower will still be a little firm, which is how I like it.  You can obviously steam it longer in the beginning if you prefer more mushy...errr...well done.

To Stuff or Not to Stuff...that is the Question

Pear and Sausage Stuffing

I am, against my better judgment, going to highlight the Thanksgiving dish that is the center of eternal debates.  I am going to risk the flack I might receive because I love ya’ll and, frankly, I care so much about your Thanksgiving happiness!  Because of this…I’m going to talk about…(du du duhhhh)…STUFFING!  Or FILLING!  Or DRESSING!  Whatever you might call it, we’re gonna make it!  Now, not only is the name of the dish hotly contested, but there’s also the eternal…to stuff the bird or not to stuff the bird…question.  I, personally, do not stuff the bird with my stuffing.  I think it results in a stuffing full of the delicious turkey flavor (yay!) but a dry turkey (boo!).  Plus, by the time the stuffing is up to safe eating temperature, the bird has been overcooked.  So, instead, I stuff my turkey with onions, celery, lemons, garlic and herbs and make my stuffing on the side.

So here it goes…my favorite…Pear and Sausage Stuffing!

Ingredients

1 Pound bulk pork sausage

2 Cups diced onion

2 Cups diced celery

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped sage

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped thyme

6 Cups crumbled cornbread

6 Cups (6 cups when dry, about 8 – 10 cups before dry) cubed bread

2 Cups chicken stock

2 Peeled, chopped pears

4 Tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley

2 Tablespoons poultry seasoning

2 Teaspoons salt

1 Teaspoon black pepper

Prep Step

The day before I make the stuffing, I make a batch of cornbread and then crumble it and cube my bread.  This way I have nice, dry FRESH bread for my stuffing.

Step 1

This is THE most important step, so read carefully.  This recipe involves a lot of chopping, so the first thing you need to do is set up your chopping station, complete with a glass of your favorite wine.  Trust me, the wine will make it all possible.  That, and the promise of delicious stuffing! J

Step 2

If you didn’t follow my first step, don’t tell me.  It will just make me sad.  But, we will continue anyway because you need to get that stuffing done!  If you are baking the stuffing right after you make it, turn your oven to 350 degrees; I usually need to wait to put my stuffing in until after my turkey is finished, so I usually end up letting my stuffing sit for an hour or two before baking it.  But in the end, you will want an oven at 350.  Then go ahead and over medium heat, sauté your sausage until it is nice and browned.  Then pour it into a large bowl.

Step 3

Dice your onion and celery.  Then using the same sauté pan as before, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and celery.  While they sauté, chop your thyme, sage and rosemary. 

Then add them to the vegetable mixture and sauté the veggies until they are softened.  Add them to your bowl with the sausage.

Step 4

Peel and chop your pears and chop your parsley.  Add the pear, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to your bowl and mix them all together. 

Then add your dried breads along with about 1 ½ cups of stock.  Mix the ingredients, by hand, together.  Add more stock until it is your desired level of wet/dry.  I like the bread cubes to be moist outside but still a little firm so that it will brown nicely on top when it’s baked. 

When you like the way it is, pour it into a casserole dish and bake it for 30 – 40 minutes, or until it is hot and the top has become golden brown.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!