Cauliflower Leek And Bacon Gratin Recipe 4

CAULIFLOWER, LEEK AND BACON GRATIN RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch square or oval dish. 2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook cauliflower for 5 minutes. Drain. Set aside in a bowl. 3. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or until crispy. Set aside on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tsp. of fat. Add leeks to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until very soft and just starting to turn golden. Transfer to the bowl with the cauliflower. Add bacon. 4. Wipe skillet clean. Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with flour; cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Whisk for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and thickened. Whisk in the Gruyere, Parmesan and salt until cheese is melted. 5. Pour over cauliflower mixture, stirring until well coated. 6. Transfer to buttered dish. Topping: In a bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, cheese and butter. Sprinkle over the dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden on top and heated throughout. Variation: Use broccoli and cheddar in place of cauliflower and Gruyere and Parmesan.

CAULIFLOWER AND BACON GRATIN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole dish. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, blend the bread until it forms into crumbs.
• In a large non-stick skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly until all the butter has been absorbed and the bread crumbs are toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream and flour. Add the capers, bacon and 1/2 cup of the Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and toss with the cream mixture. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH LEEKS AND WHITE CHEDDAR

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice cauliflower head lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices, including the core and leaves. (Some smaller bits will fall away: That's fine. You'll use them as well.)
• Drizzle some olive oil onto the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. (An oval, square or rectangular dish will all work.) Layer about a third of the cauliflower along the bottom, and about a third of the leeks. Season with salt and pepper, and repeat until all of the cauliflower and leeks are used. (Don't worry about perfectly layering them.) Season with salt and pepper and drizzle cream over. Scatter cheese on top, and season again with salt and pepper. Lightly cover with foil and place in the oven.
• Bake until cauliflower is nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cream has thickened and reduced nearly completely and the top is golden brown and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating.

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE WITH LEEK BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower as well as the thick white stalk, taking care not to break off the florets. Cut a deep cross in the bottom of the stem and steam it whole over a pan of boiling water until slightly tender but not cooked through. The cauliflower florets should still be firm. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and leave to cool.
• Place the butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium heat. Lower the heat and add the finely chopped leeks. Cook until the leeks are softening slightly but not cooked thoroughly. Remove 1 tablespoon of the leeks and keep to one side. Add the flour to the remaining leeks in the pan and stir. The flour will become lumpy, but continue to stir for 2 - 3 minutes. This will cook the flour and soften it to make a better sauce. Add the large pinch of salt and the mustard powder and stir again. Turn up the heat to medium and add the milk all at once. Stir briskly until a smooth sauce forms. Continue stirring until the sauce is thick and glossy - about 4 - 5 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little more milk. It should be thick, but still a bit runny. At this point, add the grated cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
• Break or cut the cauliflower florets away from the thick, central stalk, taking care not to break it into tiny pieces. Place these florets in a greased baking dish large enough to hold all the florets in just one layer. Pour the cheese and leek sauce over the cauliflower making sure to cover all the florets. Sprinkle the extra grated cheese evenly over the top and scatter the reserved softened leeks over the top as well. Finally, grate some fresh pepper over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and golden brown on the top, approximately 20 minutes. Test the cauliflower to make sure it's cooked through by piercing with a sharp pointed knife, cook a little longer if necessary. Serve warm.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER & LEEK GRATIN RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• ROASTED VEGETABLES: Cut cauliflower into florets that are 1 1/2 inches wide. In a large bowl, toss the florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender with just a bit of bite and browned. 35-40 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic after 20minutes. Cut leeks into 1-inch pieces and toss with remaining oil and salt. Spread out on another rimmed baking sheet and roast until crispy in some parts and soft throughout. About 15 minutes. You can do this ahead of time (hours in advance). GRATIN SAUCE: Melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour and cook. Stir constantly for 3-5 minutes, make sure that it doesn't brown. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer. Maintain the heat so that it is bubbling gently, stir often until the sauce thickens and the flour cooks. Add 1/3 of parmesan and stir until just melted. Remove from heat and season well with salt and pepper. Stir in mustard. When the vegetables are done, reduce the vegetable temperature to 350°F. Toss the vegetables with the ham and add to a pan. Pour sauce evenly over vegetables. Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining cheese and sprinkle over the top. Roasting the leeks and cauliflower (which you can do well ahead) brings out deeper flavor and a crisp-around-the edges texture. Serve as a dish with roasted meat or as a main course with salad and bread. If you don't feel like making the white sauce, gently warm 1 1/2 cups in a saucepan until it bubbles around the edges then stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour it over the vegetables.

CASHEW CAULIFLOWER AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place cauliflower florets and leek slices in a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper; toss to mix. Roast 20 minutes, stirring halfway through., Meanwhile, process cashew milk, white wine, cashew butter and garlic in a blender until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes., Transfer roasted cauliflower and leeks to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish; stir in cashew sauce. Return to oven; bake until heated through, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with cashews and chives.

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER & BACON GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the bacon for 5 mins until just starting to crisp. Add the onion and sizzle for 12 mins until soft and golden.
• Meanwhile, tip the potatoes into a large pan of water, making sure they are well covered. Bring to a gentle boil, then add the cauliflower and cook everything for 6-7 mins until both are tender. Tip into a colander and drain thoroughly.
• In a gratin dish, layer the potato and cauliflower, then scatter with bacon, onion and a small handful of cheese. Drizzle each layer with a little cream and season. Continue until all the layers are finished, pour over the remaining cream and scatter with the last of the cheese. Bake for 30 mins until bubbling. Remove from the oven and set aside for 1 min to rest. Serve straight from the dish with a crisp green salad.