Cavolfiore al gratin (Cauliflower Gratin)

Frankcontorno, secondi piatti26 Comments

Cauliflower Gratin

There’s something so comforting about creamy gratins. Who wouldn’t go for that bubbly, cheesy, warming goodness?

Cauliflower Gratin is not exclusively Italian, of course—the Brits have their Cauliflower Cheese and the French their chou-fleur au gratin— but I think it is particularly nice made with Italian cheeses like Parmesan and fontina. It makes for a rich side dish with simply roasted meats or, especially if you add the optional ham and extra cheese, can serve as a (mostly) vegetarian main course, just as satisfying as any meat dish would be.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 as a side dish, 2 as a main course

  • 1 head of cauliflower, separated into flowerets
  • 500 ml (2 cups) thick béchamel sauce
  • 75-100g (3-4 oz) grated Parmesan cheese, plus some more for topping
  • Butter, q.b.

Optional:

  • 100 g (4 oz) fontina, Emmenthal, raclette or other meltable cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 100g (4 oz) of cooked ham or prosciutto, cut into small cubes

Directions

Steam the cauliflower flowerets until they are just tender, with still some ‘bite’ left in them.

While the cauliflower is steaming, make the béchamel and, when it’s done, mix in the grated Parmesan cheese.

Butter a baking dish large enough to hold all the flowerets very generously. Arrange the cauliflower in the dish, nestling the cubed fontina and/or cooked ham among the flowerets if using. Pour over the béchamel, taking care to cover everything. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and dot with butter.

Bake in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for a good 20-30 minutes, until the dish is bubbling and the top is nicely browned.

Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For the extra cheese in your cauliflower gratin, fontina would be a lovely choice, but if you can’t find imported fontina (it’s rather hard to find, for some reason) then another meltable Alpine cheese like Emmenthal, Appenzeller, raclette or perhaps a Comté, would be very fine choices indeed.

 

Print Recipe

Cavolfiore al gratin (Gratinéed Cauliflower)

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower separated into flowerets
  • 500 ml 2 cups thick béchamel sauce
  • 75-100 g 3-4 oz grated Parmesan cheese, plus some more for topping
  • Butter q.b.

Optional:

  • 100 g 4 oz fontina, Emmenthal, raclette or other meltable cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 100 g 4 oz of cooked ham or prosciutto, cut into small cubes

Instructions

  • Steam the cauliflower flowerets until they are just tender, with still some 'bite' left in them.
  • While the cauliflower is steaming, make the béchamel and, when it's done, mix in the grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Butter a baking dish large enough to hold all the flowerets very generously. Arrange the cauliflower in the dish, nestling the cubed fontina and/or cooked ham among the flowerets if using. Pour over the béchamel, taking care to cover everything. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and dot with butter.
  • Bake in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for a good 20-30 minutes, until the dish is bubbling and the top is nicely browned.
  • Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For our recipe for making béchamel sauce, visit:
http://memoriediangelina.com/2010/02/08/how-to-make-bechamel-sauce

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26 Comments on “Cavolfiore al gratin (Cauliflower Gratin)”

  3. Reply

    I have a head of cauliflower in the fridge right now moaning, ‘please use me.’ This is just a perfect marriage of need and deliciousness. And bonus: our local cheese shop has some excellent fontina! Plus – it’s comforting. Minnesota winters demand comfort in the kitchen.

  6. Reply

    Fontina is one of those foods that I sort of took for granted until I moved to the US. I had it often as a child and it is readily available in stores in Italy. I wonder what hinders its diffusion elsewhere, considering its excellent qualities. Lovely gratin, Frank, using one of my favorite vegetables.

  9. Reply

    I am such a fan of cauliflower in the cool months. I’ve made it a zillion ways including one with a gorgonzola cream sauce a few weeks ago… this is a lovely recipe, Frank. Simple and delicious.

  10. Reply

    Beautiful, Frank! And so tempting. I’m with you on the Italian Fontina. It melts so nicely, and why it is not sold more widely, I do not understand. I can find it here in Los Angeles only at specialty cheese shops. Buona domenica a te!

  11. Reply

    I have found that Compte works fantastically with this dish (I used Emmenthal for years until I decided to try Compte)…and it makes a wonderful gratin crust (better than Parmesan IMHO) so what I usually do is use Parmesan in the bechamel and top the dish with a generous layer of grated Compte. The combination of the 2 cheeses is divine. I also find that a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on top makes a particularly crispy gratin crust, if this is the effect you’re looking for

    Anything gratineed qualifies as comfort food in my book 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

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