Cheesy Baked Cauliflower and Fennel
Description
Borrowed from NYT Cooking, the photo you see is only cauliflower and shallots…but next time I’m definitely going to try half cauliflower, half fennel (and shallots), which was one of their recommendations. Another great way to dress up and enjoy one of our favorite vegetables – enjoy!
Ingredients
4 cloves of garlic, finely grated
2 rosemary sprigs
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. EACH kosher salt AND freshly ground pepper (I used white pepper)
2 lbs/907 g grams cauliflower, cut up into manageable pieces – they don’t all have to be the same (if using half fennel, cut it/slice it up with an aim to have it all cook through at the same time as the cauliflower)
3 medium shallots, cleaned and quartered
~2 c. grated sharp white cheddar
freshly grated Parmesan for the second half of baking (optional)
Instructions
Gently whisk together the garlic, rosemary and cream in a small pot over medium/low heat. Bring to a simmer and boil carefully for a few minutes until the rosemary has lost some of it’s color (and added all of it’s flavor). Turn off the heat, remove the rosemary sprigs and whisk in the salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly butter a 9 x 13-ish sized casserole dish. Arrange the cauliflower, shallots and fennel (if using) across the bottom of the dish and pour the hot cream mix evenly over all. Scatter the cheese over top and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and remove the foil, sprinkle on extra cheddar or some Parmesan (if you wish) and then bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until all is a deep golden brown (you could also finish in the broiler for a quick minute). Serve hot with just about anything!
