Day Five

She Said:

Proceeding on with our own Julie/Julia Project, we again were cleaning out the freezer and pantry to use up some of those "non-recipe-ingredient" things we have. So we opted for a side dish from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Day Five

Garlic-and-Cheese-Crumbed Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
¼ cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (see Note)
½ cup grated Gruyère
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and boil until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain well.

2. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Grease a 1½-quart baking dish with butter.

3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and parsley and simmer just until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Toss together the bread crumbs, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

5. Arrange the cauliflower in the prepared baking dish. Top with the crumb mixture. Drizzle the butter and garlic mixture over the top. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is hot and the crumbs are golden. Serve hot.

NOTE: Two to three slices of whole wheat sandwich bread whirled in a food processor will make 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs, perfect for this dish.

This dish was, in a word, sensational. The flavors worked so well together and even worked really well with our "store-bought" rest of the meal - a box of Nature's Way Long Grain and Wild Rice Rice-a-Roni and frozen grilled salmon fillets with lemon butter.

Absolutely delicious. This one is definitely a keeper!

He Said:

At first sniff, I had my doubts about this side dish. It smelled an awful lot like feet. She said that I shouldn't worry and that feet smell was a good thing. Well, as usual, She was right. The flavors married perfectly and it tasted nothing like feet after all. Whew!

I really loved the texture of this dish, too. The soft cauliflower juxtaposed against the crunchy-ness of the cheese crumble was wonderful. I forget sometimes that texture can make or break a dish. This was a good reminder of that.

This is a dish that I wouldn't hesitate to make again. And again. And then, after that? Again.

Day 5/365:Recipe 6/175