To me, pouring a cheese sauce over fresh vegetables makes as much sense as putting Cheese Whiz on filet mignon. But sometimes cauliflower wants a little company, and the addition of a cheddar cream sauce and crispy proscuitto is just the perfect compliment to an already beautiful vegetable.
Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into oversize florets
- 2 slices of prosciutto, diced
- 2 cups of hot milk
- 3 cups of very sharp shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Blanch the cauliflower in salted, boiling water for 4 minutes, drain and place into an ice bath to keep it from continuing to cook. Let the cauliflower drain in a colander while making the sauce.
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan, add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the hot milk and stir with a whisk to break up any lumps. Add the cheddar while constantly stirring the sauce until all of the cheese is incorporated. Remove from heat.
- Sauté the prosciutto and olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it becomes crispy, but don't take your eyes off of it; it will burn in a nanosecond if it's left unattended.
- Add the prosciutto to the cheese sauce and pour over the cauliflower in an ovenproof dish.
- Cover the cheese sauce with the grated parmesan, and bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 20 minutes.
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