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Steamed Cauliflower with Mornay Sauce

Picture from Creative cooking Course

Creative Cooking Course: The Creative Cooking Academy 1973

Steamed Caulifower with Mornay Sauce

Cauliflower seems to be latest vegetable in the spotlight, at least from many of the blogs I have been receiving.  It is not one of those vegetables  I  use very often  unless I have a specific recipe. It  is a versatile vegetable to be used in salads, casseroles, soups or vegetable side dish and on a pizza or stir-fried frozen cauliflower.  

Cooking Fresh Cauliflower

Fresh Cauliflower

Fresh Cauliflower

There are several ways to cooking cauliflower and other fresh vegetables. To have them keep their food value and looking fresh and delicious it is best to “undercook”, that is, to cook the vegetables as short as time as possible  and still be tender not over cooked.  The cooking time will vary the cooking method. Here is a list of methods to cook fresh vegetables:  steaming, boiling, pressure cooking, braising, baking, frying and roasting.

Benefits of Cauliflower

Steaming Cauliflower

Steaming Cauliflower cover over 2 ” water for 5-7 minutes.

Cauliflower can provide the healing powers to boost the immune system and inhibit tumor growth. Vitamin C and vitamin B folate support the immune system.  To keep the nutrients at the peak, choose solid white heads without brown spots. Eating raw or steamed cauliflower provides the most nutrients.  Store with the steam down to prevent excess moisture in the florets.  

Mornay Sauce, a French Cheese Sauce

Picture from Creative Cooking Course

Picture from Creative Cooking Course: The Creative Homemaker’s Academy 1973

Looking through an older cookbook, I found this recipe for Cauliflower with Mornay Sauce a French cheese sauce.  It is cauliflower florets steamed then covered with bread crumbs and melted butter as an au gratin. The Mornay Sauce base is Béchamel Sauce, a basic medium thick white sauce, with the added butter and cheese.  This is poured in the center of the cauliflower and browned under the broiler.

 

The Cauliflower with Mornay Sauce was very good even though the finished dish did not look like the picture.  I also used all the cauliflower in the casserole. I should have cooked the white sauce longer  before adding the cheese.  The original recipe called for Parmesan cheese, I used Pecorino-Romano and  too few bread crumbs.   The end recipe turned out to be closer to cauliflower soup and delicious anyway.

Cooking Bechamel Sauce

Cauliflower with Mornay Sauce

Julia Ann
An elegant cauliflower casserole is served with a generous sprinkling of bread crumbs, butter and a French cheese sauce broiled to brown the crumbs and sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Vegetable
Cuisine French
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 1 cup freshly ground bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 recipe of MORNAY SAUCE
  • Basic White Sauce or Bechamel Sauce as follows.
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • To complete Mornay Sauce add
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Instructions
 

  • Wash and trim cauliflower into florets.
  • Steam the cauliflower until tender, 5-7 minutes over 2 inches boiling water.
  • Arrange cauliflower around the edge of casserole.
  • Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan.
  • Whisk in the flour until smooth.
  • Gradually stir the milk, constantly stirring or use whisk to blend.
  • Cook until sauce is thick.
  • Stir in the salt and pepper.
  • Prepare the Mornay Sauce
  • Add the butter in small pieces.
  • Stir in the Parmesan cheese, beating until the butter is melted.
  • Generously sprinkle bread crumbs over the cauliflower.
  • Drizzle 1/3 cup melted butter over the bread crumbs
  • Spoon Mornay Sauce into the middle of baking dish.
  • Broil until the crumbs are lightly browned.

Notes

Swiss cheese is often used in the Mornay Sauce, you may prefer other cheeses. Less salt may be better if the cheese is especially salty. Inspired by The Creative Cooking Course, 1973.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Here are more cauliflower recipes.  Check out these links.

Simply Recipes  – Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

The Taste of Aussie -Crumbed Cauliflower Florets

 Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinabox

Julia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes  for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.”  Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox®. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Quiche, France’s answer to Italy’s Pizza

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

They are both called pies, and are served in or on  a crust.  The quiche is a flaky pastry shell filled with an egg custard of  cheese, meats and/or vegetables..  The pizza is a yeast dough crust for savory toppings, hot and spicy also of cheese, meats and/or vegetables.  Introducing the Cheese-Bacon Quiche also referred to as a Quiche Lorraine.

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Quiche Lorriaine was first a custard base of few pieces of meat and poured into a hollowed out bread shell  Now the delicious Cheese-Bacon Quiche is poured into a pastry shell.  Some quiches have the meats, cheeses or vegetables on the bottom of the pastry shell with the egg custard poured on top. Quiches make a very good breakfast, brunch and small tart-like quiches make tasty appetizers or hors d/oeuvres.

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Savory pastry shells can be made by adding  egg yolks or Parmesan cheese.  The pastry for this particular quiche was made with coconut oil.  Coconut oil does not have a flavor of coconut and the pastry is very flaky making it somewhat hard to handle getting into the pie plate.  The flakiness of the pie dough adds texture to the custard filling.

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Julia Ann
An egg custard filling with cheese, bacon and onion baked in a crust, a classic French recipe for Quiche Lorraine.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Breakfast - Brunch
Cuisine French
Servings 6 serving

Ingredients
  

  • 1 unbaked 8-inch pie shell
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1/2 cup onion sliced
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Pinch of nutmeg freshly grated
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • Paprika

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven 350 F.
  • Chill pie shell before filling. Remember to warm a glass pie plate before putting into hot oven.
  • Fry the bacon in skillet until crisp.
  • Remove from skillet, drain on toweling and crumble.
  • Drain excess bacon grease from pan, save 1 teaspoon or enough to cook the onions until transparent.
  • In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg and hot sauce.
  • Stir in the bacon and onion.
  • Pour into the prepared pie shell.
  • Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  • Sprinkle with the paprika.
  • Bake 350 F for 35 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Notes

Julia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® All rights reserved.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Menus and serving Recommendations

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiches served at a brunch could be made in to small pie like tarts, accompanied with bowls of fresh melon and mango and the Sour Cream Bundt Coffee Cake.   Lunchtime Cheese-Bacon Quiches would be enjoyed with a nice spring lettuce salad with oranges and pecans or tomatoes and green onions and walnuts.  Think quiche for that extra appetizer for your next dinner.

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Cheese-Bacon Quiche

Other sources of quiche recipes.

Simply Recipes

Spark Recipes®

 

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinaboxJulia Ann andcookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice®  bring you great recipes,  for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet  Cookery®  cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “ Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox®  All rights reserved.

Classic French Bread

 

Stop and think of the aroma of freshly baked bread.  Home-made bread is always a delight and  a treat.  This loaf of Classic French Bread is easy and not to time-consuming.  It is worth the extra effort  to have a crusty warm loaf of bread with your favorite hearty soup. Left-overs, if there are any, can be used for bruschetta and bread pudding.

Make a big pot of soup using cookbookinabox® recipes for Summer Vegetable Soup and Corn and Mushroom Chowder as hearty soups.

Loaf of Classic French Bread

Loaf of Classic French Bread

Classic French Bread

Julia Ann
A small loaf of French Bread and an easy to do.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Breads
Cuisine French
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package dry yeast 2 1/2 teaspoons

Instructions
 

  • Put the warm water and yeast into a large bowl or a mixing bowl, let stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast has bubbled on top.
  • Whisk the flour, salt and sugar into a smaller bowl.
  • Add the blended dry ingredients into the yeast mixture.
  • Stir with spoon or beat with mixer using a dough hook until blended.
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured bread board or counter and knead about 5 minutes; roll into a ball.
  • Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray.
  • Put the ball of dough into the greased bowl, roll it around to coat the top side.
  • Cover, let rise in a warm place (85 F) free from drafts until doubled in size (45 minutes or hour.
  • Punch dough down and pour onto a lightly floured board or counter and shape
  • into a loaf, round or long.
  • Put it onto a greased baking sheet.
  • Cover dough into warm place until doubled in size (30 minutes +/-)
  • Preheat oven to 450F.
  • Make 2 diagonal cuts across of the top with a sharp knife.
  • Beat the water and egg white together, brush over the top of bread.
  • Bake at 450F for 20 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Notes

To have a warm place: turn the oven on warm and turn it off while bread rises.
This can also be made in a food processor. Mix the flour, salt and sugar first in the process, then add the yeast mixture. Process until dough forms a ball, process additional minute. Turn the dough out to knead for 5 minutes. This recipe is from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 1999, p 35......cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® s, bring you great recipes for your cooking experience. 2007-2018 Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinabox "Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off." All rights reserved.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Enjoy your soup and crusty Classic French Bread, Make it often.

 

cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice®  bring you great recipes for your cooking experience.

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinabox ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® cookbookinabox®  “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk.Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office.” nettabelleschoice.com and cookbookinabox.com. All rights reserved.