The holidays are fast approaching so I think this is a good time for a holiday side dish recipe. If you’re looking for a side dish that everyone will enjoy, cauliflower au gratin will definitely fit the bill. It’s cheesy and delicious. It’s also quick and easy to make so it won’t take up the oven time that you need for turkey and other dishes.
How to Make Cauliflower Au Gratin
To make cauliflower au gratin you will need 1 head of cauliflower, 1½ cup of light cream, 5 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese, 1 cup of grated white cheddar cheese, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 sprigs of thyme, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, salt, and 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Fill a large pot with water about half-way. Cover the pot with a lid. Place the pot on the stove at medium heat and let the water come to a boil. Cut the cauliflower into large florets and place the cauliflower florets into the boiling water. Place the lid back on the pot and let the cauliflower cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and pour the cauliflower florets into a strainer and let the water drain from the florets. Pour the florets back into the pot and set aside.
In a separate pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter on the stove at low-medium heat. Use a spoon to add and mix flour to the butter; the mixture should be smooth with no lumps. Pour the light cream into the pot. Add the garlic, thyme (de-stemmed), nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and salt (to taste). Mix everything together using a whisk. Remove the pot from the stove. Add half of the Gruyere cheese and half of the cheddar cheese to the cream mixture and whisk everything together. Pour the cream mixture over the cauliflower and gently mix together using a spoon.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan on the stove at low-medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, and salt (to taste) to the butter. Continuously turn the mixture with a spoon until the breadcrumbs are a light golden brown. Remove the saucepan from the stove and set it aside.
Grease a small baking dish with butter or oil and pour the cauliflower mixture into the dish; spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Top the cauliflower with the remaining Gruyere and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the cheese. Put the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cauliflower is cooked.
If the breadcrumbs aren’t your desired colour after 25 minutes of baking the dish, you can set the oven to broil to toast the breadcrumbs to your desired colour. Pay close attention to the dish in the oven while you’re doing this as the breadcrumbs can easily burn when the oven is set to broil. Remove the dish from the oven once it’s done and let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with a bit of thyme. Enjoy!
Other Side Dishes that You Might Like
Cauliflower Au Gratin
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Cauliflower Mixture
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1½ cups light cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese (grated)
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese (grated)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 sprigs thyme (de-stemmed)
- ½ tsp nutmeg (ground)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt (to taste)
Ingredients for the Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
Instructions for the Cauliflower Mixture
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Fill a large pot with water about half-way and boil the water on the stove at medium heat.
- Cut the cauliflower into large florets. Place the cauliflower florets into the boiling water and let them cook for 5 minutes.
- Strain the water from the cauliflower florets. Pour the florets back into the pot and set aside.
- In a separate pot, melt the butter on the stove at low-medium heat. Add the flour to the butter and mix until smooth.
- Add the light cream, garlic, thyme, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt to the flour and butter mixture. Whisk everything together.
- Remove the pot from the stove. Add half of the Gruyere cheese and half of the cheddar cheese to the cream mixture and mix everything together using the whisk.
- Add the cream mixture to the cauliflower and gently mix using a spoon.
- Pour the cauliflower mixture into a small, greased baking dish. Spread the mixture evenly in the dish and top with the remaining Gruyere and cheddar cheese.
Instructions for the Breadcrumb Topping
- Put the butter in a small saucepan and let it melt on the stove at low-medium heat.
- Add the breadcrumbs, black pepper, and salt to the butter. Use a spoon to continuously turn the mixture until the breadcrumbs are a light golden brown.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the breadcrumb mixture cool before sprinkling on top of the cauliflower mixture.
- Put the cauliflower gratin in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cauliflower is cooked through.
- You can set the oven to broil to toast the breadcrumbs to your desired colour if the breadcrumbs aren't your desired colour after 25 minutes of baking the dish.
- Remove the cauliflower gratin from the oven once it's done and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Garnish with a bit of thyme and then serve
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