Cauliflower Cream ♥
An easy but almost-decadent ultra-smooth blend of low-carb cauliflower, sautéed onion and sour cream, a great substitute for those who don't eat high-carb potatoes but so good, you'll find yourself choosing it for its own sake. A rustic, simplified version of Cauliflower Cream is a year-round staple at our house!
WAY BACK IN 2007 Cauliflower Cream is my favorite among this year's new Thanksgiving vegetable recipes, one to clip for everyday, not just for holidays. Cauliflower Cream is simply delicious – for everyone at the table but especially for those who avoid potatoes. It is so smooth and so creamy, and tastes so much like mashed potatoes that at first, my taste testers only asked, "Wow, who made the potatoes?" Everyone was surprised to learn that what they thought were "potatoes" were in fact cauliflower!
Of all the vegetable recipes I made for 2007's Thanksgiving series, this is the one I can most imagine making again and again, for everyday. There's no giving up mashed potatoes but these are sort of unexpected. Last week, the leftovers were absolutely delicious with this pork tenderloin with cranberry sauce.
You will want to choose how smooth Cauliflower Cream should be, depending on your mood or your meal.
Ultra smooth. (as pictured) It takes just a few seconds to run the Cauliflower Cream through the food processor. The result is silky smooth, almost elegant, the texture of ultra-buttery potatoes.
Rustic. Or save time and dish-washing and just mash the mixture with a potato masher. The texture is still creamy but bits of cauliflower are evident, you know it's cauliflower not potatoes.
UPDATE Cauliflower Cream makes frequent appearances in my kitchen, so often that I consider it a "house recipe". It's especially useful during the winter when serving stews and meats that beg for something creamy on the side. I often leave out the last two tablespoons of butter, definitely changing the calorie impact. I also usually follow the advice of a reader who makes Cauliflower Cream and skip the oven step, serving it straight from the stove.
COMPLIMENTS!
"I love this recipe." ~ Anonymous
"Amazing! ... Out of this world!" ~ Jerry
"I love this recipe." ~ Anonymous
"Amazing! ... Out of this world!" ~ Jerry
CAULIFLOWER CREAM
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Makes about 3 - 4 cups, depending on the size of the cauliflower
Time to table: 60 minutes
Makes about 3 - 4 cups, depending on the size of the cauliflower
Big pot of salted water
1 large head cauliflower
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
2 - 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
Salt & white pepper to taste
Grated nutmeg or pimentón to garnish
Heat the oven to 350F/180C.
Bring the salted water to a boil. Cut off the outside leaves of the cauliflower, use knife to cut out the core with a large V. Cut into large florets. Drop into boiling water and cook until soft, about 10 - 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
While the cauliflower cooks, heat a small skillet on MEDIUM, melt 1 tablespoon butter until shimmery. Add the onion, garlic and bouillon and let cook until the onion is just beginning to turn brown.
Combine the onion mixture, cooked cauliflower and sour cream in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and process again until smooth. Transfer to a well-greased baking dish and bake until hot all the way through, 15 - 20 minutes.
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
DAY BEFORE Make the entire casserole and either bake (for reheating the next day) or just refrigerate to bake the next day.
THANKSGIVING DAY Bring to room temperature. Bake at 350F/180C for 30 - 45 minutes or until hot all the way through.
LEFTOVER REPORT Warms up just beautifully! And where potatoes get 'crusty' when reheated, the cauliflower does not.
ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
A 1-2/3 pound cauliflower will yield about 3 cups Cauliflower Cream, a 2-1/3 pound cauliflower will yield about 4 cups. I don't adjust the other ingredients which means, of course, that Cauliflower Cream made from a small cauliflower is richer.
I make Cauliflower Cream in a large serving dish for the table or buffet, also in small ramekins for individual servings. Both work great.
I use regular sour cream but to save calories, I would definitely experiment with low-fat sour cream (update: works great!) and even non-fat Greek yogurt (update: nope, not so great). I don't recommend non-fat sour cream, however but that's a matter of taste, I just don't like the stuff, if you do, go for it.
Taste the Cauliflower Cream before adding the last 2 tablespoons of butter: to my taste, it's not necessary, an indulgence.
Cauliflower Cream looks really plain in a bowl! I sprinkle pimentón or grated nutmeg over top for a little garnish but buttered bread crumbs or something like chopped green onions cooked in a little butter would also work.
QUICK CREAM CAULIFLOWER I make this quick version at home often, just to have a low-carb starch with stews, especially. I skip the food processor and just mash the cooked cauliflower with a potato masher. I skip the onion, garlic and bouillon cube. I mash the cauliflower with just 1 tablespoon of butter, the sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and white pepper. Very good for everyday!
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MORE CAULIFLOWER THANKSGIVING RECIPE IDEAS
~ Creamy Cauliflower Gratin ~~ Cauliflower Tomato Medley ~
~ Cauliflower Cheddar Horseradish Gratin ~
~ Cauliflower with Pancetta, Capers & Parmesan ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
~ Favorite Recipes for Thanksgiving's Favorite Vegetables ~
from A Veggie Venture
~ Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs ~
~ Cauliflower Risotto ~
~ Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes' ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column
Move aside, turkeys. (No, not you, dear readers! Thanksgiving turkeys!) Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So it's new Thanksgiving recipes all November long for a fabulous collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipe ideas. Whether it's last year's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy this year, move over turkeys, it's vegetables' time.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2018
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2018
hi
ReplyDeleteprepared a recipe like this many times..
been my experience.. that if the cauliflower isn't mashed first before the food processor step..
end up with something close to wallpaper paste..
perhaps its because normally do about 3 parts cauliflower to 1 part potato..
doug
Hi Doug ~ thanks much for the tip but with no potato at all, this definitely didn't turn out anything like wall paper paste. That said, I wouldn't call them 'light and fluffy', either. They're substantial and rich, but not heavy. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeletesounds fantastic! i will definately try this one!
ReplyDeleteThat does look delicious, and I have never made or eaten anything like this creamy cauliflower. I am enjoying your T-day veggie series very much!
ReplyDeleteBut I seem never to get past roasting cauliflower any more. Maybe Thanksgiving will change that. I like the sound of this very much.
ReplyDeleteOooh, that looks quite decadent. I can even imagine a hint of curryin here as I've recently discovered that cauliflower and curry go rather nicely together :)
ReplyDeleteDirtGrl ~ Thanks, it's a winner!
ReplyDeleteNupur ~ Oh good, you're the queen of 'series' among food bloggers!
Tanna ~ Ah, there's something spectacular about roasted cauliflower. Hmm. Hmm. It might be interesting (and better color-wise?) to use roasted cauliflower in this cauliflower cream. Hmmm!!
Jeanne ~ Ah yes, the curry idea is a great one and of course opens up the mind to all kinds of other possibilities too. Thanks for the idea!
I am totally a fan of substituting cauliflower for potatoes... it's so healthy and a tasty alternative. I am going to try this as a side for my pork chops :)
ReplyDeleteI love this recipe. I made some for my dad, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He really liked it.
ReplyDeleteCan you explain the purpose of baking this? I just scoop it right out of the food processor and serve it. If it's cooled, I just microwave it. The first time I made it, it was so tasty right out of the food processor that I decided not to bother baking it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous ~ Ha! It just never occurred to me, perhaps because I'm a total make-it-ahead-of-time to serve later kind of cook, especially for Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for adding to the usefulness of this recipe!
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I used a blender and a wooden spoon and worked it to the texture I wanted. Out of this world!
ReplyDeleteJerry ~ So glad you liked it!
ReplyDelete