A Note Before You Start
I came across quite a few recipes that called for cooking the cauliflower florets in boiling water, but I think that makes the gratin too soupy. I prefer to roast the florets. Also, feel free to change up the cheeses here. Gruyere would be a great choice, but at the time I was testing this recipe I didn't have any, so I used a combination of cheddar, parmesan, and a little bit of cream cheese. The purple cauliflower turned the sauce mixture to a pale purple, so if you don't care for the color, use white cauliflower in this recipe.
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower (about 6-7 cups) or for a colorful version, 2 cups each of orange, white and purple
4 TBSP of butter - room temperature
2 TBSP of olive oil
5 TBSP of flour
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of milk (of your choice although I don't recommend using skim milk)
1 cup of shredded cheese of choice. (More if you like it cheesy!) Reserve 1/4 cup for the top
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
4 oz of room temp cream cheese
1 tsp of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
Step 2: Cut up the cauliflower into bite sized florets and place in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Toss all together to mix.
Step 3: Place the cauliflower on a parchment paper lined baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, (when fork tender), & then remove from the oven and place in the large mixing bowl.
Step 4: While the cauliflower is baking, make the roux by mashing together the room temp butter with the flour and set aside.
Step 5: Bring the chicken stock and milk mixture to a gentle boil. Begin adding the roux mixture 1 TBSP at a time to the liquid and whisk constantly until all the roux mixture has been incorporated and the mixture has thickened.
Step 6: Remove the thickened liquid mixture from the heat and add the cheeses and salt and pepper. Stir until melted.
Step 7: Pour the cheese mixture over the cauliflower and mix together gently. Put in a 9"x13" baking dish and top with the reserved 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.
A Thanksgiving Favorite in Our House!