Cheesy, tangy, glorious: Cauliflower Kale Gratin

Steamed cauliflower and kale are tossed with a béchamel sauce and two cheeses, topped with panko and baked into a rich, tangy gratin. Recipe below.

This is what comes of reading a cookbook while riding around town hungry. On Saturday, we had an errand-filled day, hunting hither and yon for everything from geraniums to major appliances. On the way out the door, I grabbed the wonderful cookbook Off the Menu, which we’ve already written about here. Maybe reading cookbooks while hungry is not the brightest decision on the planet, and maybe it made me kind of hangry, but it also inspired this recipe. Like so many things on Blue Kitchen, it’s a mashup—in this case, a collision of two dishes from this fun, welcoming book.

I have to say that this turned out really well. But then, cheese sauce! What’s not to like? Instead of cheddar or gruyere, this uses a combo of Parmesan and goat cheese, the latter giving a delicate tang. We served this as the one side dish for a casual Sunday family dinner, alongside sautéed salmon and Scarbolo Pinot Grigio Ramato XL, a beautifully pink Italian wine picked up on a whim at Eataly. It would be great alongside a roast, or a grilled chicken, for Thanksgiving. And it would be a superb vegetarian main all on its own, with a nice big California chardonnay and some cornbread.

Cauliflower Kale Gratin
Serves 6 generously

1 large cauliflower (about 2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
1 bunch lacinato kale (see Kitchen Notes)
water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons flour
1-1/3 cup milk (I used 2%, which is what was in the fridge)
2/3 cup half & half
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/3 cup or more grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup panko

Break up the cauliflower into small florets. Put them in a big heavy bottomed skillet or a pot, with about an inch of water. Cover tightly, turn the heat to medium, and cook until just tender, about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the pot and reserve the cooking water to use in the sauce—don’t pour it out!

Tear the kale into little pieces, discarding the ribs. Blanch the kale for one minute in boiling water, then scoop it out of the water and drain it—put it in the same bowl as the cooked cauliflower. Discard the blanching water.

In the heavy skillet, prepare a béchamel. Heat the olive oil and butter over a medium flame, swirling the pan to combine. Add the flour and cook, whisking frequently, until it forms a pale brown roux, about 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk in the milk, half & half, and reserved cooking water. Cook, whisking frequently, until the béchamel begins to thicken. Whisk in dry mustard, paprika and chopped fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Then stir in the cheeses.

When the cheese has melted into the sauce, turn off the heat and carefully stir in the cooked cauliflower and the blanched kale.

Spoon it all into an oiled 9 x 13 baking pan. Sprinkle the panko over the top. Bake in a 375ºF oven until the top turns golden, about 25-30 minutes.

Kitchen notes

What kind of kale? We used lacinato kale—some fresh, crisp, very black-green lacinato we found in our weekend travels that just looked gorgeous. But use any kind of kale that looks good to you, or, if you prefer, some spinach. If you do use spinach, don’t blanch it before stirring into the mix.

Parmesan? yes. Romano? yes. Both or other? Sure! We used what we happened to have, which was Catamount Hills cheese, from Vermont-based Cabot—it tastes like the love child of Parmesan and Swiss cheese and grates up a treat.

You can take the milk out of the goat. Some goat cheeses are stronger and tangier than others. For this dish, we happened to use a milder, crumbled goat cheese. Use the one you like.