LC A Cauliflower Scorned Note
If you know of anyone who can’t bear cauliflower, you may coax them into trying Dorie Greenspan’s spectacularly indulgent cauliflower gratin recipe, which envelopes the potentially offensive little florets in a luxurious and really quite forgiving blanket of cream, egg, Gruyère, and bacon. And if that still doesn’t do the trick, well, you did what you could. It just means there’s more for you.
Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
Directions
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 425° F (232°C). Generously butter a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof dish and place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. (It’s not elegant and it’s a tad too big, but a 9-by-13-inch baking dish works fine.)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut florets from the cauliflower, leaving about an inch or so of stem. Drop the florets into the boiling water and cook until fork-tender, anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the florets. (Alternatively, you can steam the florets over salted water.) Drain and rinse the cauliflower florets under cold running water to cool them and pat them completely dry.
While the cauliflower is cooking, toss the bacon strips into a heavy skillet, place the skillet over medium heat, and cook just until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Drain and pat dry.
Spread the cauliflower in the buttered pan and scatter the bacon over the top.
Place the flour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the eggs until blended. Slowly whisk in the cream and milk. Season the mixture with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir in about 2/3 of the cheese. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and bacon, shaking the pan a little so that the liquid settles between the florets. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake the cauliflower-bacon gratin for about 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top isn’t as brown as you’d like, run the gratin under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
The gratin is best just from the oven or warm, although it can be enjoyed at room temperature, just like a quiche. You really should eat the cauliflower-bacon gratin the day it’s made, but if you’ve got leftovers, cover and refrigerate them, then let them come to room temperature or warm briefly and gently in the oven.
Recipe Testers' Reviews
With the quantity of eggs involved, this seemed more like a big, crustless quiche than a gratin. But no matter what you call it, it was delicious. The recipe instructions, measurements, and cooking time were all spot on, and the dish was easy to put together. As rich as it is, I’d serve it as a main dish, with salad greens on the side. It’ll definitely be making a return appearance at my house.
Decadent, delicious, and easy to prepare. I ate it hot out of the oven, at room temperature, and cold, right out of the fridge. The only issue I had was that it took 15 minutes longer in the oven than the recipe stated. If I were to make it again, I’d roast the cauliflower rather than boil it, to give it a little more intense flavor.
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Hello there this recipe sounds amazing and I know you can be creative and swap things out and add things in. Can it be made in advance and frozen and is there any certain technique or anything to do if you’re going that route. Like to make it for Thanksgiving in advance.
Hello, Lisa. Full disclosure: We didn’t test freezing the gratin and then reheating it. But I did dome research for you. You’ll need to remove the gratin from the oven about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through cooking. Let it cool completely, wrap it tightly, and freeze it. Let the gratin defrost in your fridge overnight and finish baking it the day of serving. Now, there will be some textural changes because of freezing. It won’t have that same creaminess, but it will taste the same.
This gratin is such a delicious template that we made it twice within a week (once with cauliflower and then again with broccoli). Not only is it way easier than my usual cauliflower with cheese sauce, it doesn’t mind a substitution (after a power outage I really wanted to use up my crème fraîche and cauiflower, and had no cream on hand). Leftovers make a wonderful breakfast. It is such a satisfying recipe, It is a scrummy dish that is frankly easier and better than any crustless quiche I have made, and a template that has infinite variations possible that will work –note it is a great meatless monday kinda dish, comforting and a main dish now in our rotation.
Love ALL of this, Irene. Thank you!!!
So good, I had leftovers for breakfast. My foodie friends and I loved this dish. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter, but the picture of the gratin looked so beautiful I wanted my final dish to taste as good as it looked. The only exception to your posted recipe was adding about 3/4 to 1 cup of diced onions sautéed in butter with thyme as an idea mentioned in the “Around my French Table” cookbook. I mixed the onions with the bacon and then added it with the cauliflower. I used approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, about 1 teaspoon fresh pepper, and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. I think I could have used a little more salt. The final dish was just a delicious as I had hoped it would be. I served this gratin with herb roasted chicken, sautéed green beans with carrots and almonds along with a French Rose. I will definitely be making this gratin again. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture.
Cheriede, lovely! Many kind thanks for taking the time to let us know—we so appreciate it! As for next time, if you’d like to make it ahead of time, I see no reason why you couldn’t assemble it early in the day, cover and refrigerate it, and then slide it in the oven just before dinner, allowing a few extra minutes to take the chill off the gratin.
Made this today, as main course with a salad. Good. Nothing to tell stories about though …
What didn’t work for you, Carmen?
We loved this dish so much, I would definitely make it again, and most certainly for company. While it is a bit hearty with regard to all the eggs, cream, cheese, and such, it could be altered for less guilt, though perhaps a few nights of salad afterwards, and a walk through the park, will be sufficient penance. 😉
Such a beautiful presentation. I thought a 13-by-9-inch baking dish would be sized for overkill, so I used a smaller, round casserole dish—perfect! Next time, I will add bread crumbs on top for just a little extra something.
Again, a great recipe from Leite’s. This one is not only worthy of printing, but even deserves its own protective cover to keep it safe. Love it! Thank you, Leite’s.
Hello, Karen. Yes, it’s a wee bit on the hearty side, but I like your expertise regimen antidote. And although I’m definitely a do-as-I-say,-not-as-I-do kind of guy, moderation in all things is good. Thank you for your kind words, and keep coming back! We love your riffs on our recipes.