Califlower is a vegetable that is often overlooked on food markets shelves. It is easy to prepare and has a lot of nutrutional value to offer. I'm lucky enough to get the best of this breed from Satur farm in North Fork of Lond Island, New York that offers some of the best vegetables on the market. Beautiful herbs, delicious micro greens, specialty salads, leafy greens, meaty heirloom tomatoes and sweet, crunchy root vegetables. As a chef at premier Manhattan restaurants such as Lutèce and Le Bernardin, Eberhard Müller dreamed of produce that would meet his exacting standards. He and his wife began Satur Farms as a way to supply vegetables and herbs to his own restaurant, but they quickly discovered that other top-level chefs were clamoring for their harvest. Their cauliflower has a citrus color of the head.
My two favorite ways to prepare it are roasting and making a cheese gratin out of it. Cut cauliflower head into small florets and discard the stalk and leave part. Steam or blanch florets for a few minutes, drain and place it in oven prof casserole dish.
Now to make a sauce start a few table spoons of unsalted butter in a saute pan. Once it is melted and the foam subsides add a couple table spoons of regular flour and stir constantly to make a roux (base for the sauce). Next add 2 cups of heated whole milk and stir to make a sauce for a few minutes till it thickens. Off the heat add one cup of grated smoked Gouda cheese and pour over the cauliflower in the casserole.
Top the gratin with grated Parmesan cheese and place it i the over at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, then another 5 more minutes under the broiler to get the best crust on top.
Enjoy and Happy Eating!
Excellent dish. I think that cauliflower is very underrated vegetable, and many think that it has no flavor. This recipe shows how great the cauliflower dish can be. Flavor and texture are there. Will make it again on Thanksgiving.
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