MACARONI (CAULIFLOWER) GRATIN (BOUCHON)
I had planned to make mac & cheese, but caulilflower cheese happened first, so why not.
The main thing here is the bechamel (or mornay, once you add the cheese) which is more heavily flavored than usual with onion, cloves, bay leaf, and nutmeg. (This is similar to what goes into my English aunt’s breadsauce at Thanksgiving and I love that stuff, so this was not a stretch. If you have an aversion to cloves, leave them out, or just use 1 or 2 rather than 6, which is kind of a lot.)
He calls for gruyere, comte, or fontina, but the gruyere was deep in the freezer and we like cheddar, so that’s what I used along with some parmesan for a mix of flavor. And he calls for a whole pound of cheese, which I pared back on for my mom’s sake (I have actually made this before with exactly the proportions written, and it is ridiculously rich and decadent and absolutely delicious). Also, no breadcrumbs tonight – mixed feelings around here on crunchy top vs cheesy top on gratins.
This is very nice. What’s not to like about a cheesy gratin with lovely flavors in the sauce?
