Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Mary
The fish was very mild. I so enjoyed cooking it & remembering our time in Paris. We hope to go back again soon.
Kathy

Fitzie, we like cauliflower too. How did you make the gratin?

Kathy, that was a wonderful trip. If you go again be sure to let me know or, better yet, let me give you a tour of my neck of the woods.

Mary

I used Julia Child's recipe in Vol 1. Parboil the cauliflour. Make a Mornay sauce and add grated swiss cheese. Combine and top with breadcrumbs. Bake. If you don't have the book I'll send you the recipe.
Fitzie

We made a cauliflower gratin in culinary school which I really enjoyed. (And, I'm not a big cauliflower fan.) Ilene might remember it as well, as it was one of the things we served (and I had to make a lot of it) for our graduation dinner.

I just compared it to Julia's, and while they are similar, here are the differences between the two:

Julia calls for blanching in water only, and my school recipes calls for blanching in water and milk. Not a biggie, but adding the milk helps the cauliflower retain its color.

Julia cuts her cauliflower into florets, whereas we kept it whole. And while the recipe doesn't specify this, we naped it three times, i.e., ladled the cheese sauce on the cauliflower three times, letting it set slightly between each nape. This ensured the entire cauliflower was covered completely with sauce. Makes a difference in terms of presentation.

Julia uses swiss and parmigiano, whereas we used used gruyere and parm. (The gruyere is definitely more complex.)

Julia puts breadcrumbs on top, which for a gratin of florets makes sense. I guess you'd have to see the presentation of the recipe I've used to understand why this wouldn't work.

The recipe we used adds a white wine reduction to the cheese sauce, which has the effect of making the sauce taste cheesier.

The differences between the two aren't great, but thought I'd give you another perspective. And, Julia's method of cutting up into florets is certainly more intelligent if you don't want a whole head of cauliflower. But, the version I use is fantastic on a buffet.

Julia developed her recipe at a time when gruyere was not terribly available in the US. I suspect if she revisited this recipe today (assuming she was still alive ), she'd use gruyere.

If you like Mary, I can scan the recipe and email it you.

Amy

This post may be a candidate for TLDR, but I also wanted to put it down on “paper” for myself, as it turned out so well…

Last night I decided to do a little experimenting with my sous vide set-up. Okay, I know you’re probably sick of me talking about it, but hey, it’s my newest gadget, and I’m seriously addicted to how much easier it makes things, and how much more delicious things taste.

First, I decided to try a butternut squash using sous vide technique. So I rough chopped a butternut squash and added two chopped potatoes, a diced onion, some Maharajah curry, allspice, white pepper, salt and butter. Vac sealed it and cooked for 90 minutes. When it came out, there was a great deal of liquid in the bag due to moisture being released from the veggies. I drained (saving the liquid) and pureed in my Vita Mix with just a little cream. (Just prior to dinner I put the puree into a saucepan to dry it out a bit…this really helps to concentrate the flavors and texture.)

I tasted the liquid that came out of the bag, and it was reminiscent of everything that was in the bag, but in a diluted form. So I started reducing it to concentrate those flavors.

I then tied up a center-cut pork loin (after brining) just as if I were going to roast it, then added some garlic, thyme, pepper and allspice to the bag, and put it into my circulator bath for four hours. (I seared it after it came out of its bath.)

When the butternut squash “jus” had concentrated, I decided to poach some apple balls in it. I added some white wine and reduced further, then added some cinnamon to the pot. After the apples came out, I reduced the sauce again.

Thinking about color, flavors and textures of the plate, I decided I needed to also do something crunchy and something earthy.

So, I made some pommes maxim (recipe courtesy of Keller). Think of them like little pinwheels of super-thin potatoes then sautéed in clarified butter.

And, I sautéed some mushrooms.

But the really wonderful part of this meal was the sauce. That reduction, reduction, reduction of what came out of the bag with the butternut squash was fabulous. I did a deglaze of the pork sear with some Calvados, then added the reduction (which had thicken quite a bit due to the starches released from the veggies in the puree). I then finished it with just a little cream to smooth it out.

A big hit at my house.

Amy

Amy
I just want to sit in your kitchen and watch you at work (play).
ilene

WOW... seriously wow. You are amazing.

Also I didn't see your offer for your cauliflower recipe for some reason but the answer is a big yes. My husband will truly adore me if I make that.

Mary

Amy
I am way toooooo lazy to go to all that trouble, but I will be happy to eat at your table any day!
Kathy

That's amazing, Amy. Sounds wonderful.
Fitzie


PS - I've done whole heads of cauliflour for dinner parties. They are lovely but since there are only two of us, it makes more sense to use Julia's recipe. I ate the cauliflour I didn't use for lunch the next day - raw!

Thanks guys. It was a great meal, but really just inspired by flavor profiles I enjoy and new equipment which significantly enhances possibilities.

Amy