Monday greetings, I trust your weekend was a productive one and that hopefully you were able to knock off one or two things on your never-ending To-Do list towards Christmas!
It's Monday, so that means another recipe from Mireille Guiliano, this week from her book French Women For All Seasons. I approached this week's selection, Cauliflower Gratin, in the hopes that it just might turn out to be that perfect little side-dish for the holiday season. Did it? We shall see...
Cauliflower Gratin
2 pounds cauliflower
4 eggs
3/4 regular milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 shallots, minced
Generous 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
4 ounces white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, cut out the central stem, and break into florets. Wash in cold water, then steam for about 6 minutes. Put the florets in a baking dish.
3. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cumin, garlic, and shallots. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Add the wine to the baking dish, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Overall impressions: An easy enough recipe, I made no substitutions or modifications, but unfortunately my review of this recipe is a disappointing one. If nothing else, I try to be an honest blogger, and sometimes S*@t happens - so why not admit it. As stated in my introduction, I had high hopes of serving this again at some point over the holidays, but alas, it is a complete dud! Dry, bland, except for the wine (which overpowered the dish), colourless (I respond best to colourful food) and strangely textured due to the odd, largish piece of egg here and there - that, and the fact that all the bread crumbs did not absorb into the mix (not enough liquid). Considering this is my first negative review, Mireille still has a very good track record and I look forward to next Monday, where I will tackle something sweet: Chocolate Moelleux With Walnuts :) I figure anything with chocolate in it has to be good!
Overall impressions: An easy enough recipe, I made no substitutions or modifications, but unfortunately my review of this recipe is a disappointing one. If nothing else, I try to be an honest blogger, and sometimes S*@t happens - so why not admit it. As stated in my introduction, I had high hopes of serving this again at some point over the holidays, but alas, it is a complete dud! Dry, bland, except for the wine (which overpowered the dish), colourless (I respond best to colourful food) and strangely textured due to the odd, largish piece of egg here and there - that, and the fact that all the bread crumbs did not absorb into the mix (not enough liquid). Considering this is my first negative review, Mireille still has a very good track record and I look forward to next Monday, where I will tackle something sweet: Chocolate Moelleux With Walnuts :) I figure anything with chocolate in it has to be good!
"Even on the gloomiest days, a lunchtime promenade will do you good, for the other compensation for the lack of light is to move. Apart from it's metabolic and cardiovascular benefit, physical exertion is known to have a stimulative effect on the neurotransmitters that keep our spirits up." ~ Mireille Guiliano ~
Interestingly, I purchased the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook today.
It's hard to make cauliflower exciting no matter what you do to it.
ReplyDeleteDebra, Hahaha, Good one - chocolate might help!
ReplyDeleteThe cauliflower dish looks good but as always the proof is in the eating!
ReplyDeleteThats right, go for the chocolate next time.
I love that owl with the cucumber eyes in your side bar, I smile whenever I look at it.
I was all excited, because I happen to have an organic cauliflower in the crisper!! But alas, your review doesn't make this seem like the recipe to use after all. I am thinking of trying a slow cooker recipe I have for cauliflower. Cheese always improves cauliflower too!!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I finally figured out to post comments here without going through the process of signing in several times!!I selected the "Name/URL" profile and voila!!! So much better than using my Google profile!!
Aww no! I often wonder how recipes like that make it into books. A let down for us cooks.
ReplyDeleteLorene, That owl cracks me up too!
ReplyDeleteDianne, I'd be interested in that recipe! Now that you mention it, I think cheese is exactly what this recipe is missing; that, and doubling the liquid (except for the wine).
Glad to hear you've found a way around the comments issue - I had contacted Blogger, but never got a reply from them- just a few comments from other bloggers with some of the same concerns.
Lael, I know - you'd expect recipes to be at least double (or triple) tested before they make the cut.