You know those crispy bits of tasty baked cheese or sauce left around the edge of a casserole? We fight over them in my family. Who can resist scraping up that last bit of crunchy goodness? The French actually have a word for it – gratin. It was originally derived from another French word, the verb “gratter” meaning “to scrape.” In 16th century France, the bits were scraped (graté) from the pan so that no amount of food was wasted. The term “le gratin” has also been used in France as a unique term describing the “upper crust” of society.
Since the 19th century, the meaning of the word has changed somewhat. Now we associate gratin or au gratin with dishes that have a crispy, baked top layer. This is usually created by placing the dish under direct heat. In the past, the cooking tool used for achieving a brown, crisp crust was called a salamander. The salamander, a rod with an attached iron disc, was heated in coals. When the disc became red hot, it was passed back and forth over the top of the dish until the top layer was brown and crisp. Nowadays we can achieve a similar result with the help of a broiler.
An antique Parisian salamander, ca. 1920
Cheese or breadcrumbs are often thought to be an essential component of gratin dishes. While they certainly help to create the desired top layer, one of the original gratin dishes, the gratin dauphinois, was made simply with thinly sliced potatoes and heavy cream and baked in a pan rubbed with butter and garlic. The dish is native to the former Dauphiné region of France, the same area responsible for creating the puff-like dauphine potatoes or “pommes dauphine.”
Gratins aren’t limited to potatoes; they can be made with anything from pasta to asparagus. And they don’t always have to be served as a savory dish. When prepared with fruit and cream and topped with sugar, a delicious crispy dessert can be made. Just like torching the sugar on top of a crème brulée, the broiler will melt and harden sugar on top of your gratin.
Gratins have been around for a few centuries, and most of us have tried them in some form. What makes the dish so fun is that it has very little restrictions in terms of ingredients. It can be re-invented over and over. Simply choose any of your favorite vegetables or fruits, add butter or cream, and turn up the heat. Or, you can make it with roasted cauliflower and cheese sauce, like I did!
I created this Roasted Cauliflower Gratin over the weekend. I’ve been on a roasted cauliflower kick lately—roasting the veggie caramelizes it, giving it a sweet and smoky flavor. I blame The Pioneer Woman and the mouthwatering Cauliflower Soup that she posted earlier this week for getting me into a cauliflower frame of mind. On Sunday I was in the mood for macaroni and cheese, but I wanted something healthier—something I could indulge in without feeling super guilty. I roasted up some cauliflower, then thought about topping it with grated cheddar cheese. I suddenly remembered a potato gratin my mom used to make for Thanksgiving—cheesy potatoes with rich cheese sauce and a brown, crispy top. Totally decadent. I started with her gratin sauce recipe and modified it a bit. Then I put the roasted cauliflower into a small baking dish, topped it with breadcrumbs (I used panko, but any type of crumbs will do), and baked it. I broiled it for the last minute or two to brown the top.
The result? Cheesy, creamy, amazing. The cheese sauce was perfection, the browned crumbly top created a lovely texture and crunch. The secret here is roasting the cauliflower, which gives it so much flavor. That, combined with the cheese sauce, makes for one heck of a delicious recipe—and the best part is, it’s much lighter than gratins made with heavy cream. Plus, you’ve got the added benefit of this being a vegetable dish, which takes some of the guilt out of indulging in all this cheesy deliciousness.
I also posted a tested gluten free modification below, I tried it out and it works great. Enjoy!
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Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds cauliflower florets (about one large 3 lb cauliflower head)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups lowfat milk
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, tightly packed
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
Gluten Free/Passover Modification Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread out the florets on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat (I usually use clean hands to make sure the cauliflower is evenly coated). Place them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the florets with a wooden spoon. Return to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes longer till the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.
- While the cauliflower roasts, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to form a thick paste.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, ¼ cup at a time. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking frequently, till it thickens and begins to bubble around the edges. Do not let the sauce boil.
- Whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and stir till melted. Reduce heat to lowest setting, stirring frequently, until ready to assemble the gratin.
- Remove roasted cauliflower florets from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place the roasted florets in an even layer in a 2 qt gratin dish or 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Pour the cheese sauce evenly across the top of the cauliflower florets.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly across the top of the cheese sauce.Place the assembled gratin into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes till edges begin to brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
- Remove the gratin from the oven and turn on your broiler. When broiler is hot, place the gratin back in the oven and let it brown under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully, till the top is browned to your liking.
- Serve hot. If you're like to try a spicy modification on this recipe, substitute cayenne pepper for the black pepper, and add another pinch of cayenne to the sauce.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources
Davidson, Alan (1999). Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press, USA.
Herbst, Ron and Sharon Tyler (2009). The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, NY.
Saint-Ange, Madame E. (1927). La Bonne Cuisine. Translation copyright 2005, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.
Roxeann Poalillo Mitchell says
that sounds yummy
Ellen Hilliard says
Maybe a good Thanksgiving dish
Karen Majette Johnson says
love this one!
Amber Avey says
Gotta try this. Would you use the same amount of milk if it were made with almond milk, Tori Avey?
Tori Avey says
Hey Amber! I’ve never tried it with almond milk. I think it should be fine subbing the same amount, though almond milk is a bit thinner than lowfat. You might try starting with 1 cup of almond milk, making the sauce, and adding an additional 1/4 if needed for texture. It should be creamy and thick, but pourable (see recipe pics for the proper texture). Let me know how you like it!
Leigh Klein says
Yes, I´ve made it. It´s deliciously divine!
Susan Loehr Confer says
yummy!!
Marion F says
I found a really nice cauliflower, and used half for another recipe. I just found this recipe and decided to use the other half of the cauliflower. I used to make this all the time many years ago. I hadn’t bought real cows milk for a long time, I’ve been using soy for years. I bought some full fat organic cow milk specially. I made the recipe using half the ingredients, and it came out so good, I scoffed the lot myself! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definately be making it again.
Tori Avey says
Great Marion! I really love this one and could easily eat the lot myself if I’m not careful. 😉
Gina Malewicz says
It’s in the oven now! I needed no grain, so I modified a little by adding less milk, some cream and no flour. And a touch of nutmeg. Thank you for the recipe!!!
LizK says
Thank you! My pickiest boy ate this with out me begging!!!! I’ve added this to my Zip List and plan to make it again and again!
Tori Avey says
Yay!! That’s a major compliment. 😉
Elizabeth says
Just made this…wow!! Never had such delicious cauliflower. I stumbled on your site via the tutorial on how to shred cabbage. So many great recipes! Because I am a garlic lover I added two cloves to the cheese sauce and it pumped up the already great flavor.
Next up I am going to try the cheese stuffed red peppers and your shakshuka. Thanks for posting!
Melissa says
I just made this and actually it’s the first time I’ve even bought a head of cauliflower (hence me going on line and finding this recipe). I didn’t have quite enough so I added some broccoli and I used cayenne pepper. OH MY GOODNESS! This is soooo delicious and I actually think it’s better the next day. Bye bye mac n cheese. This is the ultimate comfort food dish and was very easy to make. Thanks!
Lorraine says
This is by far the best cauliflower recipe I’ve ever made. I do not like cauliflower but thought i would give this a try because I am doing low-carb. OMG. This is so good. I will make this again and again.
Tori Avey says
So happy to hear that Lorraine! Thanks for letting me know.
Elizabeth says
I just made this recipe. It is delicious!! Thank you.
Tori Avey says
Yay! That’s what I like to hear. 🙂
Shari Peace says
Can you use frozen CF? Thanks!!
Tori Avey says
Hi Shari, please look at Kosher-girl’s comment above and my response for the answer to your question.
will says
It really hits the spot
Donna says
Cooked this for dinner with glazed carrots, french onion soup and garlic bread. It was very filling and yummy!
Tori Avey says
Now that is a hearty meal, perfect for a cold winter night! 🙂
Kathy says
Just made this tonight for my family and it went over really well.I had been serving it roasted for a while but the kids were getting bored with it that way so this was a great way to get them eating cauliflower again. They loved it and so did I!Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Thanks for reporting back Kathy! This is one of my favorite recipes. 🙂
Leeyat says
What a delicious recipe! I’m so glad I found it while searching for a wintery cauliflower recipe! I did make a couple changes that I think put it over the top: I added some roasted grape tomatoes (as one reviewer suggested, more just to use up some I had in the fridge) and then the real kicker was some mushrooms sauted in butter — so delicious. Thanks Karla!
Tori Avey says
So happy you liked it Leeyat! It’s one of my favorite cold weather comfort foods. 🙂
nana aloupis says
My Granddaughter Karla made this for Thanksgiving. I was so impressed with the dish I begged her for the recipe.She added broccoli . I plan to try it today.
Thanks Karla. nana
Olivia B. says
Made this for Shabbat dinner tonight – FABULOUS main dish! I think this does an even better job than baked mac and cheese for the ooey gooey cheesy factor…everyone was very impressed. Thanks so much for posting this – it warmed us all up on this chilly Alaskan evening!