Creamy Cauliflower and Gruyere Gratin

Submitted by SarasotaCook

"I got this from a local farmer up in MI years ago, Bills Fruit Stand. Really, just a road side summer stand. She, the wife had some recipes written on small index cards they handed out. She didn't add the parmesan, she added cheddar and I thought it didn't work well for my taste, so I tried a few others and came up with gruyere which I love with this. Swiss will work just fine too. My addition is fresh bread crumbs as well. She had a different recipe every week and they were always very fresh and good. I wish I kept more of them. Well this is a great side dish served with some grilled pork chops, or a roasted chicken is perfect for me. Add some baked or roasted sweet potatoes and it makes for a very comforting dinner."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 heads cauliflower (cut the stems off and reserve for the sauce. The heads or tips are to be used in the casserole)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 shallots, fine chopped
• 1 cup gruyere, shredded (swiss will work just fine for this)
• 1 tablespoon Grey Poupon
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

• Topping

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumb (about 2 slices of fresh bread)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

directions

1. Cauliflower -- Prepare your cauliflower, cut off the steams and rough chop the heads. Add the chopped cauliflower to a large bowl and set to the side.
2. Vegetables -- To a medium pot, add the butter and melt on medium heat. Add the shallots and cauliflower stems chopped and cook just 4-5 minutes until slightly soft. Then to that, add the cream, grey poupon, horseradish sauce, salt, pepper, rosemary and nutmeg and bring to medium heat and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Should take about 5-8 minutes on a slow boil or simmer.
3. Transfer to a blender or if you want you can use an immersion blender for this. Blend until smooth and well combined and the cauliflower stems are pureed.
4. Add the cream sauce to the cauliflower and combine well.
5. Topping -- Add the melted butter to the bread crumbs in a small bowl and mix well with 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
6. Baking -- In a 13x9" casserole or baking dish sprayed with pam or lightly greased add the cauliflower mixture and top with the grated cheese, and then top with the bread crumb mixture. Bake 400 for 20-30 minutes on the middle rack uncovered. Enjoy!