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I'm not going to even try to hide the fact that despite cauliflower being in the name of this
Food & Wine recipe, this is not even close to being health food. So if you are going on a diet come January 1, I'd suggest you go ahead and make this incredibly decadent and delicious dish now. You have what, 3 days?
It doesn't matter if you don't typically like cauliflower. You will love this. I'm sure of it. Because who doesn't love something chock full of rich, cheesy, nutty goodness?
I made this as a side for Thanksgiving, and I can tell you when I told everyone what it was, I was greeted by more than a little skepticism. But the empty dish and multiple helpings served is the only evidence needed to show just how fantastic this is.
While I served this as a side, it would also be perfect with a salad and a hunk of crusty bread as an entree.
A few notes:- In a pinch, I had to use raw shaved almonds (almond slices). I put them in the oven to toast them up a bit. I'm sure this didn't give it the amount of deep nuttiness that whole roasted almonds would have, but it worked nonetheless.
- I used more than the 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of Manchego that the recipe called for. More cheese can only help right?
- I didn't have a sieve at my parent's house (nor a cheese cloth). So that step got skipped. When I make this again at our house, I will use one though, just to make the sauce a bit smoother. But if you process the almonds really well, it isn't the end of the world if you can't strain them out.
- If you don't have smoked paprika, regular paprika will work.
Cauliflower Gratin with Manchego and Almond Sauce 3/4 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 2-pound head of cauliflower, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
1/2 cup whole roasted almonds with skin, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds (3 ounces)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded Manchego or other mildly nutty semi-aged sheep's- or cow's-milk cheese (3 1/2 ounces), such as Gouda
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Pimentón de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until steaming, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Add the 1/2 cup of whole almonds and process until finely ground. Let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the half-and-half through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the ground almonds.
In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the milk and the half-and-half and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 3/4 cup of the Manchego and whisk until melted. Whisk in the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
In a large skillet, bring 1/2 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook over high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander. Wipe out the skillet.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the cauliflower to a 7-by-10-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and spread the Manchego sauce on top.
Sprinkle the gratin with the remaining cheese, the 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds and the paprika and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and browned on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead The gratin can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight. Bring it to room temperature before baking.
Alton Brown will help the Tennessee Aquarium with their new sustainable seafood endeavor later this fall. The "Serve and Protect" project will raise awareness and promote local and sustainable seafood choices.
Long before Elf-on-a-shelf became popular, this Elf, named CASHEW, came to our house each December 1st and magically appeared in various places throughout the month.When our girls grew up and married, CASHEW sent his Elf cousins to their homes as well.
photo sourcePISTACHIO does his magical adventures at our daughter, Erin's.
MAC ADAMIA plays his mischief at Jamie's home.
AL MOND frolics up in NY at Jill's house each year. He has even followed them to their new home.
~*~I caught CASHEW in some of his many antics and made a game inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest.As you can see, one never knows where CASHEW's whimsical wondering's will appear. Even Raider is not off-limits to his impish ways. We are planning on playing this with the M&M lovin' kids in our family. That is unless CASHEW gets into the M&M's first!
If you would like to make a game too, right click the photo and save to your computer. I made the game in Microsoft Word. I printed on card stock and trimmed to desired size. I used a glue stick to attach the page to another colorful piece of card stock then went to Staple's to have it laminated.
Our 5 1/2-hour drive turned into an eight+ one but we finally made it safe and sound.
Raider is a great traveling companion except that he thinks he can only do potty in grass...dry, green grass... let's just say he spent way longer than usual outside.
gift time
seeing their new home
Raider (the Schnauzer) and Rudy (the Yorkie-poo) did very well together. Rudy was a gracious host.
From their appearance, Raider and Rudy look the same size. But Raider is a stocky and compact 20-pounds and Rudy is a fluffy, curly 12-pounder under lots of fur.Raider is not agile and even has trouble doing steps. Rudy is light on his feet and bounces and dances like a feather.
We enjoyed sitting in as Brad led a Sunday School class and hearing Jill as she played her violin during Worship time at their church.Afterwards, it was lots of giggles through lunch.
New Years Eve was spent playing, "Don't Eat RUDY", (their version of Don't Eat CASHEW), eating delicious food Jill made and watching the sweet movie, Nanny McPhee.
All but one (youngin') stayed awake to see the ball drop and welcome in 2013
Dear Brad and Jill
Jill and her parents
My Beloved and Ibeginning another year together.(pretty scarf and earrings are from Jill and family)
Let me start by saying that The Baby is a total carb queen. When she won't eat her vegetables, chicken nuggets, etc., she'll always take a bite of bread, muffins, donut holes or cake. That being the case, The Wife and I always try to keep some kind of baked goods around the kitchen, be it The Wife's pumpkin muffins, biscuits or a cake. So when I saw this recipe in an email from Food and Wine, I made a mental note to make it next time we were in need.
I've had my "Fiesta at Rick's" cookbook by Rick Bayless for a couple of years - ever since we visited his Frontera Grill in Chicago. Though I've read through it more than a few times, I had never actually made anything from it until New Year's Eve this year. Most of December was spent traveling for us. Some planned, and some unplanned. That's how life works right? After a very hectic and tumultuous end of the month, we decided to stay in for New Year's Eve enjoying our first weekend home in almost 2 months. It didn't take long for me to decide on a Rick Bayless inspired New Year's Eve Fiesta. Just because you stay in for a celebration, doesn't mean you can't celebrate! 
Jared would't care if I just spread the frosting on with a knife but the cookies are extra special when the frosting is piped on. He likes the taste of the cookie and the frosting. Almond extract flavors both.
I have to admit, when getting toward the end of a large batch, the cookies get less fancy. 
Sugar Cookie IcingAllrecipes
A few years ago, I splurged on a set of letter cookie cutters. Here are a couple of ways I have used them.
