Creamy Cauliflower Mac Food

CAULIFLOWER "MAC" AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt.
• Spray the baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
• Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside.
• Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper and garlic and whisk just until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 minutes. Serve.

CREAMY MASHED CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cover cauliflower with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until cauliflower is tender 10-12 minutes; drain and return to pan., Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Immediately remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer; discard peppercorns, garlic and bay leaf., Add cream mixture to cauliflower. Mash to reach desired consistency.

STICKY CRISPY CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Liberally grease 2 parchment-lined baking sheets with olive oil.
• In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic, ginger, and salt. Make a well in the middle and stir in the sparkling water, whisking with a fork to form a smooth batter.
• Add the cauliflower florets and gently toss to coat them evenly in the batter.
• Place the florets onto the baking sheets, allowing a space between each piece to help them crisp up in the oven (if they are too close, they will steam each other). Bake, turning once, until crispy and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Place the brown sugar, ketchup, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha and garlic in a small saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, mix well and bring to a gentle, bubbling simmer. Cook, stirring often, until it reduces into a glossy consistency that coats the back of the wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the cauliflower from the oven and tip into a bowl. Drizzle over the sweet and sour sauce, add most of the cilantro and scallions, leaving some behind for garnish, and gently toss to coat each floret.
• Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle over the remaining cilantro and scallions before serving. Enjoy.

CAULIFLOWER "MAC" AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, spread in an even layer and roast until browned and cooked through but retaining some bite, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer the cauliflower to an 8-inch or other 2-quart baking dish. (You could also bake this in individual ramekins; just mix the cauliflower with the other ingredients in a medium bowl before dividing.) Reserve 1/4 cup Cheddar. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups Cheddar, heavy cream, garlic and cayenne to the cauliflower and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the reserved 1/4 cup Cheddar.
• Roast until the cream has thickened, the cheese has melted, and some of the cauliflower is browned on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

CAULIFLOWER "MAC" AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking dish with butter.
• Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until just crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well.
• In a large saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium heat. Whisk in the dry mustard and add some hot sauce, salt and pepper. Just before the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir in the pepper jack and goat cheese. When melted and smooth, stir in the cauliflower. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle over the Parmesan.
• Bake until the top is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

CAULIFLOWER MAC N CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil for pasta. Salt the water and undercook the pasta by 2 minutes, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• While the water comes to a boil, in a covered Dutch oven heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Cut the core away from the cauliflower and set the head into the pot and add 1 cup stock, cover and steam 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Remove and separate the cauliflower into florets. Discard water from pot.
• Over medium heat in the same pot, melt the butter, then add onions and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Add in the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in the whole milk and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sage. When thickened, stir in the Dijon mustard and 2/3 of the combined cheeses.
• Drain the pasta, add to the cauliflower, stir in the cheese sauce, transfer to baking dish, top with remaining cheese. Cool completely and cover for a make-ahead meal.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake until brown on a baking sheet to catch the bubble-over. The casserole will take 40 to 45 minutes to heat through.
• Garnish bowls of cauli-mac-n-cheese with chopped spicy watercress.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER MAC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F Grease a 9" square baking dish with 1 tbsp oil.
• Bring large pot of water to boil and salt it. Boil the cauliflower until very tender, about 20 - 25 minutes. Scoop the cauliflower out and place in blender or food processor. Reserve the boiling water and bring it back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 5 minutes and drain. It should still be somewhat chalky and not completely done.
• While the cauliflower is boiling, put the stock with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Just when bubbles start to form, turn off the heat and let stand. When ready to process the cauliflower, remove the bay leaves from the stock and add two cups stock to the processor with the cauliflower. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, the cheese, mustard, nutmeg and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Process until creamy. You may have to work in two batches. If the sauce seems too thick, add the remaining stock. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss, and spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish. (At this point you could cover and refrigerate up to a day, but be sure to return to room temperature before baking.).
• Sprinkle the top of the dish with the Parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake until the pasta is bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 - 20 minutes. Serve hot.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring cauliflower and 1 in. of water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 6-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well; set aside. , In another saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Remove from the heat; stir in the cauliflower, bacon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.