This is everyone’s favorite - when you take a look at the ingredients, you can see why.  Even finicky vegetable eaters love this dish.  The recipe (from the Silver Palate cookbook) calls for Swiss cheese but we usually like to use Jarlsberg for a little extra flavor.  My mother in law reduces the fat by using light cream and low fat cheese and she likes it just as well as the original recipe. 

Gratinee of Cauliflower

Serves 6 to 8

6 Tbls. unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 large head cauliflower
2 Tbls. flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Stir in the prosciutto and saute 2 minutes more.  Stir in the flour and then the cream.  Season with a pinch of cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat to boiling and immediately remove from the heat.

Cut the florets of the cauliflower into bite size pieces and place in a gratinee dish.  Pour the cream sauce over the cauliflower.  Top with the cheese and parsley.  You can prepare it up to this point and let it sit for a while.  Bake until the top is lightly browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.