Last Updated on 3 years by Tim

A creamy sauce topped with melted cheese and crispy breadcrumbs. That’s what cauliflower gratin is all about.

Preparing gratins is almost as joyful as eating them. All the anticipation that builds up once the gratin goes into the oven. It excites me to see the sauce gently bubbling away while the cheese melts and starts browning on top. A delightful smell starts building up in my kitchen. And even though the gratin is piping hot fresh out of the oven, I can never resist the urge to instantly take a bite.

I’ve burnt my tongue countless times but I guess that’s part of the experience. I can’t think of any dish better suited for a rainy Sunday evening than cauliflower gratin.

But before you jump straight into the recipe, here are some tips to nail this dish on your first try.

Why the cauliflower should always be precooked

I can’t stress enough the importance of precooking your ingredients whenever you’re preparing a gratin. May it be potato, kohlrabi, or, like in this recipe, cauliflower gratin. The vegetables won’t get tender enough otherwise. And no one enjoys brick-solid vegetables in his gratin.

Five minutes of precooking the cauliflower in boiling salted water are sufficient for this recipe. I also add white wine vinegar to the cooking water which helps to preserve the white color of the cauliflower florets.

There are many different approaches on how to sauce cauliflower. The simplest way to sauce cauliflower gratin is to use heavy cream. Season the cream with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Done.

A more sophisticated way would be to prepare a Sauce Béchamel that can be enriched with cheese. Or in the summertime, substitute the Sauce Béchamel with tomato sauce.

For my sauce, I use the cauliflower stem. It’s a part of the cauliflower that often gets trimmed off and ends up in the trashcan. But just like broccoli stems, the cauliflower stem is completely edible and packed with flavor. I cook it in milk just until tender and then puree it into a creamy sauce. The flavor intensity you will get in the finished gratin using this method is incredible.

If you’re a regular reader, you might’ve noticed by now that I love shallots. I use them in my sauces instead of onions because they’re milder in taste than regular onions. Cauliflower by itself has a rather subtle aroma which you don’t want to overpower with sharp-tasting onions. However, if you can’t source shallots, feel free to use regular onions instead

How to bake your cauliflower gratin in the oven

Cauliflower gratin is the ideal candidate for a make-ahead meal. Precook the cauliflower, make the sauce, mix, and let the flavors mingle inside a casserole dish. Shortly before baking, sprinkle with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for half an hour and dinner is ready. Perfect if you’re hosting a dinner party.

The cheeses I like to use for cauliflower gratin are Emmental or mountain cheese. They taste nutty and melt well. However, you can substitute any mild-tasting cheese that you have on hand.

For the last few minutes of baking, I recommend you to turn on your broiler. This will ensure a crisp crust and give the top these beautiful brown spots we all love.

Cauliflower gratin goes well with pan-fried plaice or pan-fried potatoes.

Cauliflower Gratin (‘Blumenkohlauflauf’)

May 1, 2019

by Tim

Cuisine German

Category Baked Sides Vegetables Vegetarian

Persons

4

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, separated into bite-sized florets
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• salt, to taste

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, finely minced, about 4-5 tablespoons
• 3 cups cauliflower stem and trimmings, finely chopped (take some of your florets if you don’t have enough trimmings)
• 2 cups whole milk (+extra to adjust the consistency of the sauce)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• lemon juice, to taste

Topping:

• 1/2 cup Emmental or mountain cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

Precook the cauliflower:

• Preheat your oven to 430 °F (220 °C).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the white wine vinegar and liberally salt the cooking water. Precook the cauliflower florets for 5 minutes. Drain and set them aside.

Prepare the sauce:

• For the sauce, in a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat them for 2-3 minutes. Add the cauliflower stem and trimmings and sweat the mixture for 1-2 more minutes. Add the milk, bay leaf, thyme, and curry powder. The milk should cover the cauliflower pieces completely. If not, add some more, just enough to cover them. Season the sauce to taste with nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook over low heat for about 5 minutes (Beware that milk can easily boil over). Once the cauliflower pieces have lightly softened, transfer the sauce into a blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce turns out too thick for your liking, adjust the consistency by adding more milk. Taste the sauce and add lemon juice to taste. Also add some more salt, if needed.

Assemble and bake the cauliflower gratin:

• In a large casserole dish, mix the pre-cooked cauliflower florets with the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake the gratin in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. For the last minutes of baking, turn on the broiler to lightly brown the top for 3-4 minutes.

Tags

baked,

cheese,

sides,

vegetables,

vegetarian

https://www.mygermantable.com/cauliflower-gratin-blumenkohl-gratin/