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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cauliflower Au Gratin


You can smell calories on this one well before you eat it. Didn’t stop me from eating it nevertheless!

Ingredients
Cauliflower cut into small florets – 2 cups
Water – 4 cups
Milk – 2 cups
Butter – 2 tsp
All purpose flour – 2 tsp
Bread crumbs – half a cup
Chopped parsley – 2 tsp
Red chili flakes – half a tsp
Grated cheddar cheese – half a cup
Grated Swiss and mozzarella cheese – half a cup
Salt and pepper



In a deep cooking vessel boil water, add salt and pepper. Cook the cauliflower florets in the water for 7-8 minutes till they are done. Drain and keep aside. In a saucepan heat butter and add flour. Stir briskly for a minute or so till the flour changes color. Whisk in milk slowly. Add the spices and cheddar cheese and turn the heat off. Stir continuously making sure the cheese melts and a thick sauce is formed. Grease a baking casserole and cover it with half the sauce. Layer the cauliflower florets and the remaining sauce again on the florets. Top it with bread crumbs and grated Swiss and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 F for about 15- 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

This recipe is a lighter derivation (if there can be one with cheese in it) of a very comforting, rich classic. Double the cheese and butter to enjoy it in its true avatar. Till then, food and more food….

Tips
*All purpose flour can be substituted with wheat flour.
*Any kind of cheese can be used in place of Swiss and mozzarella.
*Broccoli can be combined with cauliflower in this dish

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