"Winter is coming" and to prepare you for it, I propose a cauliflower gratin with coquillette pastas and Parmesan béchamel. To be honest, it’s more than just a cauliflower gratin, because you first have to fry onions by caramelizing them slightly, then add the cauliflower heads, the fresh cream, bay leaves and nutmeg to infuse into the preparation. I chose the coquillette pastas because it’s always smooth to eat, and it's comfort food. To understand the delight it is, I let you listen on the video above, the sound of cutting the gratin is just insane. A dish like this should be banned, it’s too good!
Ingredients
Pasta coquillettes
1 Cauliflower
1 White onion
Bay leaves
Nutmeg
Fresh liquid cream
Parmesan
Grated cheese (emmental, mozzarella, cheddar)
Pepper
Butter
Flour
Instructions
Boil water in a large saucepan and cut out the green leaves of your cauliflower.
Immerse your cabbage in water for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on its size).
Chop a white onion and fry it in a pan with a dab of butter.
Pour a teaspoon of sugar into the onions to lightly caramelize.
Remove the cauliflower from the water and cut off the heads to add them to the pan with the onions as pictured.
After 5 to 10 minutes, when the onions and cauliflower hang from the pan, deglaze with your liquid cream and add the bay leaves and two pinches of nutmeg to the preparation.
Start cooking the pasta.
Prepare the béchamel by heating about 100g of butter.
When the butter is melted and starts to brown, add the same amount of flour and get rid of it.
When the leg forms, moisten with a container of liquid cream and continue to whip actively to bind the whole and avoid lumps.
Add to the béchamel several turns of pepper mill (according to your tastes, but the fat side of the béchamel will balance very well with the power of pepper) and pour the parmesan. For the amount of parmesan, it is at your convenience, but put at least 50-60g.
When the shells are ready, pour half a ladle of the cooking water, drain the pasta and add it to the pan, if it is large enough, or put it back in the pan and pour in the preparation.
Add the béchamel to the pan.
Preheat your oven to 220°C.
Butter a dish that goes to the oven and pour the preparation of cauliflower and shells and béchamel.
Sprinkle with grated cheese. I recommend a fat cheese so that it melts more easily and gives this crisp and gratin appearance to the dish.
Put the oven on the grill mode to accentuate the gratin.
Serve with a salad and enjoy!
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