on tomorrow's menu is a baked casserole of cauliflower in a bechamel and gruyere/grana padano sort of sauce and topped with more gruyere. can i make it tonight and hold it over night? i do this all the time with mac & cheese, but am worried about my cauliflower getting mushy. is my concern misplaced?
baked cauliflower
Started by splinky, Dec 22 2010 12:37 AM
9 replies to this topic
#1
splinky
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Posted 22 December 2010 - 12:37 AM
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh, no!', I said, 'Disneyland burned down.' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”
~Jack Handey
*proud descendant of cheese eating surrender monkeys*
#2
backstory
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 11:31 AM
on tomorrow's menu is a baked casserole of cauliflower in a bechamel and gruyere/grana padano sort of sauce and topped with more gruyere. can i make it tonight and hold it over night? i do this all the time with mac & cheese, but am worried about my cauliflower getting mushy. is my concern misplaced?
i know this is a bit late but i would roast the cauliflower separately. mix the sauce and veg the next day and bake together.
how did yours turn out?
In the end, it's all a rental. - hollywood
#3
splinky
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 01:06 PM
in the end i just put the casserole together about 2 hours before baking. i used colored cauliflower and didn't want the colors to bleed too much. it was awesome, as cheese casseroles go
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh, no!', I said, 'Disneyland burned down.' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”
~Jack Handey
*proud descendant of cheese eating surrender monkeys*
#4
Ron Johnson
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 01:08 PM
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
#5
splinky
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 01:24 PM
the latterwas this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh, no!', I said, 'Disneyland burned down.' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”
~Jack Handey
*proud descendant of cheese eating surrender monkeys*
#6
Ron Johnson
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 02:23 PM
I want to try making it that way. I have seen recipes for layered cauliflower gratin that require thin sliced of cauliflower, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.the latter
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
did you have any problem with cauliflower releasing a lot of water while baking and diluting the bechamel?
#7
splinky
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 02:37 PM
slicing cauliflower thin is a pain in the ass, even with a mandoline. i steamed the cauliflower in the microwave and then set it on paper towel for a few minutes before putting it into the baking dish. it didn't release enough water in the baking to ruin the bechamel.I want to try making it that way. I have seen recipes for layered cauliflower gratin that require thin sliced of cauliflower, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.
the latter
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
did you have any problem with cauliflower releasing a lot of water while baking and diluting the bechamel?
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh, no!', I said, 'Disneyland burned down.' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”
~Jack Handey
*proud descendant of cheese eating surrender monkeys*
#8
Anthony Bonner
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 02:53 PM
my grandma used to make a very thick bechamel and sort of just daub it on the pre-cooked veg and then brown that - so it wasn't really a casserole per se, but it was awesome.slicing cauliflower thin is a pain in the ass, even with a mandoline. i steamed the cauliflower in the microwave and then set it on paper towel for a few minutes before putting it into the baking dish. it didn't release enough water in the baking to ruin the bechamel.
I want to try making it that way. I have seen recipes for layered cauliflower gratin that require thin sliced of cauliflower, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.
the latter
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
did you have any problem with cauliflower releasing a lot of water while baking and diluting the bechamel?
Why not mayo?
#9
yvonne johnson
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 10:34 PM
I steam my cauliflower then pour over the cheese sauce. I could serve it like that, but I like to brown under the grill/in hot oven.I want to try making it that way. I have seen recipes for layered cauliflower gratin that require thin sliced of cauliflower, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.
the latter
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
did you have any problem with cauliflower releasing a lot of water while baking and diluting the bechamel?
Also, I don't follow any fancy white sauce recipes before adding milk and the cheese to the sauce. As per Jocasta Innes, brown your butter and flour in a pan for a couple of minutes then put in all of the milk as per your recipe's proportions and then bring to very quick boil while whisking. Then simmer for a bit. Forget about adding the milk little by bit (In fact I think that might lead to lumpy). I've never had a lumpy sauce. (And I've not found that steamed veg release much liquid at all.)
It was not a new dish, as I recognised my tooth marks. Wilfrid
#10
splinky
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Posted 18 January 2011 - 10:39 PM
my method is close to yvonne's. i brown some onions or shallots in butter add in the cream and then corn starch and then the cheese. my casserole was sort of a faked mac & cheese, so there was loads of cheese in the white sauce and on top. i topped with rice crumbs and grated piave in the last 10 minutes of the bakeI steam my cauliflower then pour over the cheese sauce. I could serve it like that, but I like to brown under the grill/in hot oven.
I want to try making it that way. I have seen recipes for layered cauliflower gratin that require thin sliced of cauliflower, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.
the latter
was this a layered dish or was it vegetables in a casserole with the bechamel/cheese poured over and then baked?
did you have any problem with cauliflower releasing a lot of water while baking and diluting the bechamel?
Also, I don't follow any fancy white sauce recipes before adding milk and the cheese to the sauce. As per Jocasta Innes, brown your butter and flour in a pan for a couple of minutes then put in all of the milk as per your recipe's proportions and then bring to very quick boil while whisking. Then simmer for a bit. Forget about adding the milk little by bit (In fact I think that might lead to lumpy). I've never had a lumpy sauce.
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh, no!', I said, 'Disneyland burned down.' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”
~Jack Handey
*proud descendant of cheese eating surrender monkeys*
