Broccoli-Cauliflower Gratin recipe with Brie and Cheddar Cheese Sauce (2024)

FAQs

Why is my cauliflower gratin watery? ›

The watery problem happens when the cauliflower is either overcooked or not drained well enough after a quick blanching.

Cook your cauliflower cheese at the right temperature, otherwise your cheese sauce can split. If your cheese sauce splits before that, it can be down to leaving it out too long, or you've boiled the sauce. If this happens, add a splash of milk or cream and whisk vigorously and it should come back to life.

As a low acid food these vegetables would need to be pressure canned and there are no scientifically tested recipes for canning broccoli or cauliflower as a plain vegetable. Additionally, at the higher temperatures achieved during pressure canning the product would soften to the point that it would not be palatable.

Drain well

Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it's boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.

Thicken a meat casserole the most popular way with flour.

Add some flour to your pan after you've browned the meat and before adding any liquid. This way, the flour will soak up the juices and fat in the pan. Add about one teaspoon of flour at a time until you get the right thickness.

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

Can I use self-raising flour for the Macaroni and cheese sauce? You can. You might want to adjust the flavor for the added baking powder in the flour.

How long can you keep Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge? Once you've put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Likewise, if you're making a sauce in the oven, use low heat. Egg yolks are often used as a thickening agent in sauces, but if you cook them for too long at too high a temperature, the proteins will start to denature and form curds. Flour has similar properties, especially if it's not cooked in butter first.

Low and slow is the key. To achieve a velvety, hom*ogenous cheese sauce, you must slowly heat our cheese. The curdles in a cheese sauce come as a result of overheating the proteins in the cheese, which causes them to separate from the fat and water content, per The Washington Post.

How do you get the liquid out of cauliflower? ›

I've done it. It really is as simple as putting the cooked and cooled cauliflower on a clean flour sack towel , wrapping it up and squeezing all the water out. I like to use flour sack towels because they're large and really thin, which makes them easy to squeeze tight and get out as much water as possible.

While eating them raw is the best way to consume broccoli, cauliflower, or broccoflower your next best option could be to steam them. Without contact with boiling water, steaming is a gentler way to cook.

Romanesco goes by various names, including Romanesco broccoli, fractal broccoli, or Roman cauliflower, though it's considered to be a hybrid between cauliflower and broccoli. And it's part of the Brassica genus (also known as cruciferous vegetables), just like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale.

The natural nooks and crevices in broccoli and cauliflower are the perfect hiding spot for dirt, germs and even little bugs. Get your cruciferous veggies squeaky clean by filling a sink with cold water and then soaking them for a few minutes.

A sauce that's too thin can result in a watery dish lacking the rich, luxurious texture that scalloped potatoes are famous for. Thankfully, there's a simple and effective solution to this problem: Use instant potato flakes.

The best way to deal with the liquid is to put the riced cauliflower in a covered microwave-safe dish, heat it thoroughly to get all the liquid out of it you can, then drain it. If you have to cook it on the stovetop, add as little water as possible and stir frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan.

Crowding the cauliflower on the pan could make them cook up mushy and a bit soggy. Leave some space between the florets. Be sure not to use too much olive oil to cook them.