Balancing act

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with food. If I could, I would probably sit around eating pastries, cheese, fried chicken, and white rice all the time. But I always feel a small pang of guilt when I do. I blame society.

So sometimes, when making meals for myself, I try to balance out the "bad" with a little "good" - like in this quick mac and cheese, with spinach. Who knows if the added healthy elements make a difference, but it comforts me nonetheless.



That is probably why I was lured by this gratin recipe which I got from my colleague's copy of Cook's Illustrated. There is some cream and cheese, but it's mostly cauliflower! Like 50%... or maybe 40%.

It was pretty easy to put together - prepping the cauliflower was probably the most time-consuming part.


Saute the cauliflower until browned; have the gnocchi cooked and set aside; mix the cream, gorgonzola, gnocchi with the cauliflower, then transfer to a casserole dish; top with breadcrumbs (here, panko drizzled with melted butter) and bake in the oven.


It's a very white dish... I kind of wish I had some parsley to add on top, for a little diversity. Also, I probably should have cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces. Although I was eating this alone, trying to stuff a large piece of cauliflower into my mouth was rather unattractive and awkward.


But overall, it was great. The cauliflower retained some structure, so it provided a contrast to the soft gnocchi. The blue cheese added a creamy and tangy sauce. It was definitely a bit heavy - but that's ok! Because of the cauliflower!

Pantry purge: vacuum-packed gnocchi; some panko


Gnocchi, Cauliflower, and Gorgonzola Gratin (serves 4)
From Cook's Illustrated

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces (I used panko)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1 pound vacuum-packed gnocchi
1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1-inch florets, about 8 cups (I would honestly go with a little less)
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tsp dry sherry (I skipped this altogether)
1 tbsp thyme leaves (I used dried)
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Shorthand instructions

• Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water about 4 min; drain and set aside
• Toast breadcrumbs: pulse bread, melted butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper in food processor (I just drizzled melted butter onto panko breadcrumbs)
• Melt remaining butter is large skillet (use a huge pan, it will get packed) and cook cauliflower until lightly browned, about 5 min
• Add to cauliflower the cream, sherry, thyme, and cheese, and cook until cheese is melted and sauce thickened, about 5 min
• Stir in gnocchi and simmer until gnocchi is heated through, about 1 minute
• Season to taste
• Transfer the gnocchi cauliflower mixture to a 3-quart broiler-safe baking dish
• Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top
• Broil until bread crumbs are browned, about 3 to 5 min (I baked it at about 400 degrees instead, for about 15-20 minutes)