Cauliflower au Gratin

My mother used to make this dish while I was growing up and it was always a special treat.  She’d serve cauliflower florets, and I’ve modernized the recipe a little to feature a whole head of cauliflower for a bit of ‘wow’.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 medium cauliflower head
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Emmental
• 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a deep pot of boiling water, add the salt then the cauliflower, core side down (top of the head up) and cook for 20-25 minutes, until tender but still a bit form.  Drain, then return to warm pot until ready to use.
3. While the cauliflower is boiling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir for about 2 minutes, creating a light roux.
4. Increase the heat to medium-high under the roux.  Add the milk and the cream and whisk the mixture until it boils, then cook for 2 minutes, until a thick sauce is created.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the Gruyere/Emmental, the Mozzarella and the Parmesan.
6. Add 1 ladleful of sauce on the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.  Place the cauliflower on the sauce then pour the rest of the sauce over the cauliflower.
7. Sprinkle the cheeses over the cauliflower then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

6 Servings.

Note: You can easily replace the cauliflower with broccoli or do a combination of both vegetables.