[Recipe] Cauliflower Bacon Gratin

What a great day in the kitchen.

I typically spend my Sunday cooking. Sometimes I use it to prepare dinners for the coming week. Sometimes I use it just to experiment with a new recipe. Sometimes I’m only looking to have something delicious for our Sunday dinner.

Today I got to do all of those things.

I started with something I’ve wanted to try making for a long time – marshmallows (a post for another day). The marshmallows didn’t take much time at all, so I moved on to dinner: stuffed pork roast, cauliflower bacon gratin, and garlicky crumbed broccoli, all recipes adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Around My French Table’. Oh my. What a meal.

Due to popular demand, I shall share with you my adaptation of the Cauliflower Bacon Gratin.

Cauliflower Bacon Gratin

1/4 lb bacon, cut into slender strips
1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup flour
5 lg eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
3 oz gruyere (or some other cheese – I used gouda)
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Generously butter a casserole dish. If you don’t have a casserole dish large enough, a 9×13 pan will do the trick.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cut the florets from the cauliflower. Leaving them in large pieces will work well.

Cook the florets in the boiling water for about 10 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain the cauliflower, and pat it dry.

While the cauliflower is cooking, cook your bacon over medium-low heat until the bacon is browned but not crispy.

Layer the cauliflower in the casserole dish and top it with the cooked bacon.

Next, put the flour into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until all eggs are incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

Now grate the cheese.

Add the cream and milk to the egg and flour mixture. Stir. Grate some nutmeg into the mixture.

Add about 2/3 of the grated cheese to the liquid mixture. Mix well. Pour over the cauliflower and bacon.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the grain is puffed and golden. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. If you’d like a browner top (browned cheese is the most delicious thing in the world, FYI), run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

We ate this alongside a stuffed pork roast and garlicky crumbed broccoli.