Food

This is an easy and reliable recipe from Chef Joshna Maharaj, with a fantastic cheese sauce you can use for a variety of things, including mac and cheese. You can also use different veggies for this, but the cauliflower works really well.

Ingredients

3 lb cauliflower (about 1 large head), cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch florets
1/2 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
11/2 cups whole milk
6 oz sharp cheddar (about 2 cups), coarsely grated
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion greens
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
20 (2 inch square) saltine crackers

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook cauliflower in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the kale to the pot and stir well.  Drain cauliflower and kale well in a colander and transfer to baking dish.
3. While cauliflower cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, scallion greens, salt, and pepper, whisking until cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over vegetables and stir gently to combine.
4. Coarsely crumble crackers into a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Pour over crumbs and toss to coat.
5. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over cauliflower.  Bake gratin until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Yield: Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish