SKILLET CAULIFLOWER GRATIN
1 head cauliflower, grated *
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch nutmeg, optional
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
Over medium-high heat, cook the cauliflower and butter in a large skillet until the cauliflower turns a light golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the cream has reduced and thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and cook over low heat until the cheese has melted.
Makes 4 large servings or 6 small servings
* I used a cauliflower that weighed about 2 pounds before I trimmed it. I got about 1 1/4 pounds of grated cauliflower.
Per 1/4 Recipe: 449 Calories; 42g Fat; 12g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 299 Calories; 28g Fat; 8g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs
I found this recipe in a magazine and I've also seen it online on a couple different sites. None of the recipes said how much butter to cook the cauliflower with so I just guessed and used half a stick. The original recipe called for Gouda cheese but I went with what I had on hand and used Swiss cheese.
My version isn't truly a "gratin" because I didn't brown the cheese under the broiler. I don't have a skillet that is oven-proof so I mixed the cheese in instead of using it as a topping. I tried putting it in the oven for about 10 minutes or so to brown the top but it didn't do much so I won't bother doing that next time. It's delicious and will definitely make it again. It tastes just like the cabbage casserole that I used to make in my high carb days. The cabbage casserole was made with shredded cabbage in a white sauce and it was baked topped with buttered bread crumbs. Although there are no bread crumb in this dish, it has that "browned" flavor because the cauliflower has been browned as it cooks.
So, don't skimp on the initial cooking of the cauliflower in the butter. Don't let it get too dark but you do want it to have a golden appearance and a nutty fragrance. I left out the nutmeg this time so that I could get a better sense of the flavor. The funny thing is that it tastes like it has nutmeg in it anyway. I'm glad that I used Swiss cheese. It has just the right flavor and I think that's part of the reason why it tastes so similar to my old cabbage casserole. If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it with the shredding blade to grate the cauliflower. Using a box grater is very messy work. Click the photos to see close-ups.
